Farmers Movement Archive

Ryots on a warpath against metering of farm pumpsets

Farmers’ organisations have decided to take their protest against the introduction of metering system for the agricultural pumpsets to New Delhi, alleging that the Centre is hell-bent on replacing the free power scheme meant for ryots with the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on the pretext of reforms. Addressing farmers here on Thursday, All India Kisan Sabha national vice-president Ravula Venkaiah said massive protests would be organised at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on September 14 against the DBT scheme. Centre blamed “The Centre is planning to give a push to the DBT scheme in the next fiscal. Measuring power consumed by farmers for farm pumpsets is unnecessary,” he said. Mr. Venkaiah claimed that the DBT scheme was nothing but an attempt to gradually dilute the free power supply being enjoyed by the farmers after a long agitation, adding that the farmers would oppose tooth and nail the attempts by the electricity department staff to install meters in the state. All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee Prakasam district convenor Ch. Ranga Rao said the State government, if it wanted, could assess the power consumed by pumpsets at the sub-station level, not at the level of individual farmers. Aadhaar details “There is no question of farmers giving details of their Aadhaar cards and land holdings to the electricity staff,” he said. “We are planning to hold protests in-front of electricity sub-stations and at the mandal level from September 15, said Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangam Prakasam district secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy. Attempts made in the past by the government to install meters for farm pumpsets had come a cropper, he said and wanted Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to realise that it was on the poll plank of free power to farmers, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had come to power in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. He urged Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy not to comply with the electricity reforms mooted by the Centre. Telugu Desam Party farmers’ wing district president K. Venkaiah also said that farmers owed the free power scheme to former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao who was against metering of farm pumpsets. Action plan “An action plan will be chalked out by farmers’ organiations in the State cutting across the party lines on September 15 to oppose the DBT scheme, he said.

The Hindu

2020-09-11

ONGOLE,ANDHRA PRADESH