Andhra Pradesh facing 52% rainfall deficit, Naidu government failed farmers: YSRCP

Tadepalli (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 26 (ANI): YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday said that Andhra Pradesh is facing a severe drought situation and accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of failing to respond to the crisis. He said the state has recorded a 52 percent rainfall deficit from June till now.
Jagan said that out of 688 mandals in the state, 628 mandals are facing deficient rainfall, with the impact of drought being particularly severe in the coastal region as well. He alleged that Chandrababu Naidu was unwilling even to officially recognise the drought situation.
He said, "Paddy nurseries are drying up, but the government has failed to come forward to support farmers."
Jagan alleged that despite being aware of the possible El Nino effect, the government did not take adequate precautionary measures.
Jagan said farmers in the state are not getting remunerative prices for any crop and alleged that the Chandrababu Naidu government had cancelled the free crop insurance scheme introduced by the previous government.
He accused Chandrababu Naidu of focusing on spreading false propaganda against the YSRCP instead of addressing the problems faced by farmers during the drought.
Jagan questioned why the government had not distributed seeds for alternative crops to farmers in view of the drought conditions.
"We gave both Deputy Chief Minister posts to BCs. During our tenure, we provided 34% reservations to BCs and prepared for local body elections. At that time, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the reservations, stating that reservations should not exceed the 50% ceiling," he said.
"Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has now launched a major drama in the name of BC reservations. He is the one who approaches the court; he is the one who gets the reservations struck down, and he is the one who cries that nobody should approach the court," YS Jagan further said.
"The YSRCP is the only party that has genuinely worked for the welfare and advancement of BCs. Out of the 25 ministers in our cabinet, 11 were BCs. We gave 40% of the ministerial positions to BCs," YS Jagan added. (ANI)