Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party working president KT Rama Rao on Monday announced the formation of a nine-member study committee under the aegis of the party to look into farmer suicides and agrarian crisis situation in the State.
KTR said the committee, headed by former Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy, would tour all the districts and study the grim situation on the ground and submit a report to the State government, agriculture minister, agriculture commission and BRS party president KCR.
After two weeks of extensive tour, KTR said a report would be prepared after examining the main reasons leading to the farmer suicides in the State as well as the circumstances that have to the agrarian crisis in the State in the last one year.
He said at the ground level, the committee would meet small, marginal and tenant farmers to know their problems.
KTR said the suicides had increased tremendously during the one-year rule of the Congress, which came to power after making several promises to the farmers of the State. “More than 400 farmers have already committed suicide in the State.
The farm loan waiver announced by the State government did not cross at least 30 per cent. The government has stopped the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which has been receiving by them for a few years.
The promise of Rs 15,000 per acre to the farmers has also been stopped. It has come to our notice that such major economic issues are leading to farmer suicides,” he said, adding the farmers were reeling under a severe crisis due to the government’s complete indifference on the issue of free electricity supply to the agriculture sector and timely irrigation facilities.
He said the State’s agriculture sector had been completely crippled due to the anti-farmer policies of the Congress party.
KTR said this study committee was formed with the good intention of playing its role as the main Opposition party to guide the State government, which is looking at the direction without caring about the farmers and the agricultural sector.
He said their party, which had worked for 10 years with the aim of making the farmer king, was trying to bring the current situation in the State to the attention of the government.
The committee formed under the leadership of former minister Niranjan Reddy, includes former ministers Satyavathi Rathod, Jogu Ramanna, Puvvada Ajay, MLCs MC Kotireddy, Yadava Reddy, former MLAs Bajireddy Govardhan, Rasamayi Balakishan, and Anjaiah Yadav.