Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre will soon take steps to market organic farm products with the help of Amul in Telangana. Around five labs will also be established for conducting quality testing and soil testing wherever organic farming is being done, he said.
The Centre will also come out with more policies for the development of agriculture and farmers’ welfare, he told a delegation of progressive farmers who called on him at a hotel near the Begumpet airport on Sunday.
Mr. Shah accused the Telangana government of diverting funds released by the Centre for agriculture, and said the money granted to the State for soil testing was not utilised for the purpose. Organic farming was environment-friendly and has to be encouraged, he said, adding that he himself has been dabbling in it.
The farmers complained about the non-implementation of PM crop insurance scheme in Telangana and hence, their losses due to unseasonal rains were not being covered. BJP Kisan Morcha president K. Sridhar Reddy said the farmers brought to the notice of the Union Minister various problems being faced by them. When the delegation referred to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s comment on power meters on agriculture pump sets, Mr Shah retorted that the TRS government should be defeated first.
Earlier, Mr. Shah was received at the Begumpet airport by Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast region G. Kishan Reddy, general secretary Tarun Chugh and general secretary G. Premender Reddy. Mr. Shah had a meeting with 15 corporators and also worshipped at the Ujjaini Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad.
Later, accompanied by a group of leaders, he visited the home of veteran party worker N. Satyanarayana. “This is the most special day of my life. I have been working for the party for three decades and faced harassment from the police with cases foisted against me,” he told Mr. Shah after offering him tea at Sambamoorthynagar in Secunderabad.
“Dalits will get their dues and justice only when a BJP government is formed, sir; this TRS government has cheated us. Even the Dalit Bandhu scheme is not reaching us,” he said.
The Home Minister spent about 15 minutes with the family and assured them that the party will stand by them at all times. He took a chopper from Begumpet airport to address the public meeting in Munugode. Mr. Shah was also scheduled to meet film actor Jr. NTR at the Shamshabad airport hotel at night before flying back to Delhi.
