With the Andhra Pradesh government making its intention clear to install meters to all agricultural service connections in the State in a year's time, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Sunday exhorted the farmers cutting across party lines to gear up for a united struggle against the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), alleging that the move was aimed at diluting the free power scheme.
TDP farmers wing leader K. Venkaiah said farming would be unprofitable in the absence of supply of power free of cost to farmers which had been envisaged as per power sector reforms as they had to draw water from a depth of up to 400 feet in the drought-prone Prakasam district.
“Remunerative prices for farm produces remain elusive and the dilution of the power supply scheme in the long run will deal a death blow on farmers who will have no option but to either quit their profession or be forced to end their lives,” said Mr. Venkaiah.
Farmers in the State expected that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would take a cue from his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao and drop fixing of meters for agriculture pump-sets as part of power sector reforms thrust upon States by the Narendra Modi government, he said.
Farmers interests should not be bartered for the sake of additional borrowings. He feared phasing out of subsidies in the State sooner than later.
