The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) held the State government responsible for the triple suicide of a weaver’s family at Pedana village in Krishna district on Tuesday.
TDP State president K. Atchannaidu on Tuesday said the State government’s ‘ruthless policies’ were to blame for ‘a rise in the number of weavers’ suicides’ in A.P..
Mr. Atchannaidu expressed concern over the alleged suicide pact of a family of weavers at Pedana. Mounting debts and absence of government support led to the incident, Mr. Atchannaidu alleged.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the TDP leader said a 25-year-old youth along with his parents took the extreme step following their inability to repay their debts. “The State government owes an explanation to the weaver community. Why was no timely help provided to the hapless victims?” he asked.
Mr. Atchannaidu claimed that under the TDP rule, the weavers used to get government incentives, concessions, subsidy loans and interest relief. “The Chandrababu Naidu regime provided assistance worth ₹1 lakh every year to each weaver’s family even if they did not have a handloom of their own,” he said.
Mr. Atchannaidu demanded that the government pay compensation to the surviving kin of the deceased weavers without delay.
TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh, expressing his dismay over the incident, said suicides of weavers were rising in the State due to lack of support from the State government. “All incentives, subsidies and loans were stopped. No assistance was provided even during difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling YSRCPis boasting of implementing massive welfare programmes. But the suicides have revealed that the welfare benefitsare not reaching the deserving beneficiaries,” Mr. Lokesh said.
‘Incentives stopped’
The TDP leader accused the government of stopping incentives and subsidies implemented by the TDP regime under which benefits worth ₹50,000 were given to each weaver every year. “Assistance of only ₹24,000 was being given a year under Nethanna Nestham. Also, those who do not have looms are not being given the assistance,” Mr. Lokesh alleged.
He demanded an explanation from the ruling YSRCP leaders on why the APCO purchases were stopped and why weavers were not being given government assistance in setting up their own looms.
