The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday kicked off its “Jeep Yatra” from Bukkarayasamudram village seeking at least Rs.25,000 per acre in-put subsidy to all the groundnut farmers in 25 Mandals in the erstwhile Anantapur district, who had not got the weather-based crop insurance compensation. Technically the insurance companies pay only when there is low rainfall or when the crop is damaged, and not when there is excess rainfall.
Addressing farmers in large numbers at the start party district secretary V. Rambhupal said that they will tour all the villages in the 25 Mandals in the six days during the yatra till July 2 where the groundnut farmers had lost their crop due to excessive rain, but did not get compensation as technicality excess rain in the weather-based crop insurance scheme does not allow compensation. “The groundnut farmers should be compensated with input subsidy for this year and as suggested by the ZPTC members and YSRCP MLAs, and groundnut crop should be covered under yield-based insurance from the current Kharif,” he said.
He also asked Singanamala MLA Jonnalagadda Padmavathi and the other YSRCP MLAs to get a resolution passed in the constituency-level plenary session being conducted now to provide in-put subsidy to all the groundnut farmers, who did not get the crop insurance compensation.
At the public meeting, he asked the farmers to raise their voice by participating in the July 4 “Chalo Collectorate” programme in Anantapur to bring pressure on the State government to pay the input subsidy. On Day One of the Yatra, they covered villages in Bukkarayasamudram Mandal and reached Peddamadamala village in Tadipatri Mandal.
On Tuesday the Yatra would end its journey at Illuru in Garladinne Mandal of Singanamala Assembly Constituency.
