Former Minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao strongly urged the TDP coalition government to immediately reinstate the free crop insurance scheme, warning that ignoring this demand may lead to discontent among farmers.
Speaking at a media conference at the party office in Tadepalli, Nageswara Rao said that the government had neglected farmers’ welfare. He criticized the government for not providing the promised annual amount of Rs 20,000 under the “Super Six” program and for suspending the free crop insurance scheme that had been in place for the past five years.
He highlighted that due to the delay in payment of Rs 930 crore towards the 2023-24 season premiums, farmers who suffered crop losses due to recent rains missed out on a compensation amount of Rs 1,385 crore. He recalled that during the YSRCP’s five-year tenure, a total premium of Rs 3,022.26 crore was paid on behalf of farmers, covering 52 lakh acres and benefiting an average of 40 lakh farmers annually.
He accused the coalition government of reversing progress by disabling Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which had previously supported farmers from seed purchase to crop sales. He demanded fair crop prices and reimplementation of the free insurance scheme, calling for an end to exploitation by middlemen in crop procurement.
