Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy here on Tuesday launched YSR Yantra Seva, a scheme under which the farmers across the State are provided tractors and combined harvesters ahead of the kharif season.
The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also credited an amount of ₹175 crore towards subsidy into the bank accounts of 5,260 farmer groups.
At the programme, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy flagged off the 1,200 tractors and 20 combined harvesters that were handed over to the farmers from eight districts.
Addressing a public meeting later, the Chief Minister said his government was hand holding the farmers right from the stage of sowing seeds to marketing of agricultural produce.
“In a first, the government has set up Rythu Bharosa Kendras, which have emerged as a one-stop solution for all the needs of the farmers. We have also encouraged the farmers to form into groups and providing them implements at 40% subsidy. We have also provided bank loans at low interest. Farmer groups have to pay 10% of the money and get all farm implements at a subsidy,” he said.
Dig at Naidu
The TDP government headed by N. Chandrababu Naidu used to provide farmers a few tractors basing on the recommendations of the MLAs, he said. “Mr. Naidu used to involve in the purchase of tractors and indulge in corruption,” he alleged, and added, “Now, the farmers have the right to choose the tractor of their choice and the company, and the government will provide subsidy.”
Stating that the government would establish 10,750 YSR Yantra Seva Kendras in every Rythu Bharosa Kendra at a cost of ₹2,016 crore, the Chief Minister said the combined harvesters would be made available at the 1,615 cluster-level yantra seva centres to be established in the districts where paddy is cultivated.
“Today, we are providing 3,800 tractors to the RBK-level yantra seva centres, and in the future tractors will be given to all the 10,750 RBKs. We are also crediting ₹175 crore as subsidy into the bank accounts of 5,260 farmer groups. With this, we have given tractors and farm implements worth ₹700 crore to 6,780 RBKs and 391 cluster-level community hiring centres. In the coming days, we will be supplying farm implements worth ₹2,106 crore,” he said.
Ministers P. Ramachandra Reddy, Ambati Rambabu, Vidadala Rajani, and K. Nageswara Rao, Secretary Poonam Malakondiah, Collector M. Venugopal Reddy, DIG Trivikram Verma, Superintended of Police K. Arif Hafeez, several MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other public representatives were present.
