AP Govt working out second package for farmers

Rattled by the spate of suicides by farmers in the state, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet is working on a draft package which will provide interest-free loans, subsidised seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural tools to the farming community.

Apart from the existing package, a second one for providing interest-free loans, subsidised seeds and fertilisers and other agricultural tools to usher in a good atmosphere for farmers is also being worked out by a cabinet sub-committee comprising ministers of home, agriculture, cooperation and revenue, official sources said here on Tuesday.

The state cabinet, which met for the first time on Monday, took stock of the situation and appointed the sub-committee to work out the modalities for farmer welfare, identify potential families with indebtedness and the steps to be taken to improve the situation with the package of reliefs.

The previous government had launched with a cut-off date a package of Rs 1 lakh for families of the farmers who committed suicide due to crop failure and indebtedness.

The Congress, which relentlessly raked up the farmers' suicide issue during the Telugu Desam (TDP) regime, has been taken aback with the unabated suicides during the past 10 days where at least 54 deaths "" with about 40 due to indebtness "" were reported across the state.

Sending the right signals to the farming community, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy signed the free power to farmers immediately after his swearing-in.