Left ravaged by the nature and finding no relief coming their way, the farmers of Jeevangi village of Basheerabad mandal in Vikarabad district have moved the Telangana State Commission for Debt Relief to take their plight to the government notice and. help get some relief.
A team of villagers approached the Commission with a representation on Tuesday explaining their woes and seeking its help in getting some relief from the government. Thanking the Commission for visiting the village on November 11 to examine the loss suffered by the farmers due to heavy rains and floods, sarpanch of the village Kotapu Navaneetha said all crops cultivated by farmers were completely damaged.
Stating that there were about 800 farmers families in the village, the sarpanch and others said in the representation that cotton crop was raised in 3,000 acres and about 2,500 acres of it was damaged completely due to heavy rains when it reached the first picking stage and the remaining 500 acres was damaged in the flood waters of Kagna river.
As a result, the yield of cotton had gone down to one to two quintals per acre from at least 10 quintals got last year. The farmers were in deep distress as they had invested ₹40,000 per acre, mostly borrowed from private moneylenders, in raising the crop with not getting even 25% of investment as returns. Other crops such as greengram and blackgram were also damaged in the heavy rains and they had no income from them too.
Minor receipts from the sale of cotton and redgram credited to their bank accounts were adjusted against their loans by bankers leaving them no money in their hands. The villagers requested the Commission to suggest the government to implement crop loan waiver of ₹1 lakh per farmer announced by the government in one go and also arrange fresh crop loan of ₹50,000 per acre.
Besides, they appealed to the Commission to recommend the government to increase the upper age limit to 69 years for coverage under Rythu Bima Scheme (group life insurance scheme for farmers with claim benefit of ₹5 lakh per insured farmer in the event of his/her death, irrespective of the cause) and sanction of borewells to farmers with landholding up to 5 acres.
The Commission has decided to take the plight of Jeevangi farmers to the government notice along with a report prepared by them.
