Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday expressed the hope that a reasonable solution will be found on the issues raised by the agitating farmers since both the government and the farmers are willing to talk to each other.
Speaking at the awards ceremony jointly organized by Rythu Nestham and Muppavarapu Foundation at the Swarna Bharat Trust in Muchintal on the City outskirts, Mr. Naidu referred to the media reports on the demands of the agitating farmers and the response of the representatives of the central government and added that he saw possibility of a certain meeting ground.
He expected both the sides to crystallize the meeting point based on an understanding of each other’s position. He expressed the hope that both the sides would have a fruitful and meaningful dialogue.
Restriction-free marketing
“Restriction-free marketing of farm produce has been a long-standing demand which he himself had articulated several times. ‘One country and one food zone’ has been the demand for a long time,” he pointed out.
Observing that the country’s development is closely tied with farmer’s progress, Mr. Naidu compared farmers’ compassion with that of a mother and said that it was the duty of everybody to support farmers, He lauded the farmers for rendering a great service to the nation during the pandemic by producing record food grains in spite of facing hardship. He also appreciated the efforts of the doctors, sanitation workers, police and media personnel during the pandemic.
Centre, State should work as Team India
He said that both the Centre and State Governments should work as ‘Team India’ in addressing the needs of the farmers. He said that apart from ensuring remunerative prices, the farmers should be provided with timely and affordable credit. There was also a need to increase the cold storage facilities and the godowns at all levels. As a matter-of-fact, every tehsil must have a cold storage facility, he added.
In order to achieve progress in agriculture, the Vice President called for a change in perspective towards agriculture among the public and urged the youth to become proactive partners in promoting farming.
Awards presented
Prof. Sarvareddy Venkureddy, was awarded the Life Achievement Award and Brigadier Pogula Ganesha, was given the Krishi Ratna by the Vice President. Awards were also presented to farmers, extension officers, scientists, agricultural journalists and producers of short films on agriculture.
Mr. Naidu also appreciated the founder of Rythu Nestham, Padma Shri awardee Shri Yadlapalli Venkateswara Rao for supporting the farming community through its monthly agricultural magazines. He also complimented Mr. Harshavardhan , the founder of the Muppavarapu Foundation, for coming forward to support the winners of this year’s short film competitions.
