Declare Andhra situation ‘national calamity’, says Karat

NEW DELHI - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Tuesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare as a “national calamity” the farm crisis in Andhra Pradesh that has led to a spate of suicides by farmers.

In a letter to the prime minister, Karat urged him to “intervene and assist the state government to take the necessary steps to provide relief to the farmers and save agriculture in the state”.

He said that given the seriousness of the situation in Andhra Pradesh, “it should be declared a national calamity”.

Pointing out the spate of suicides by farmers due to the losses suffered by them, Karat said the relief measures announced by the state government “are totally inadequate to meet the situation”.

He said due to heavy and excessive rainfall, there had been widespread damage to standing crops affecting at least 20 lakh acres of paddy and 10 lakh acres of cotton crops. Commercial crops have also been affected.

“One of the steps taken is to increase the input subsidy by Rs.600 per acre, making a total of Rs.2,400 which is meagre and insufficient to compensate for the losses.

“Steps should be taken to see that tenant farmers get the benefits of the relief measures.

“Immediate steps have to be taken for the procurement of discoloured paddy and a relaxation upto 25 percent should be given.

“Similarly, relief has to be provided to weavers, fishermen, toddy tappers and other artisans by giving a daily allowance and compensation for loss of raw material and implements.”