Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
Government
-
Politics Agri-Biz & Commodities - Power Cong `firm' on free power to farmers Our Bureau
VISAKHAPATNAM, June 16 THE Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress party is firm on supplying free power to the farm sector, should it be voted to power in the Assembly elections due in a year's time, and there is no going back on the promise, Dr Y. Rajasekhara Reddy, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, has reiterated. At a meet-the-press programme organised by the Vizag Journalists' Forum here on Monday, after the conclusion of his marathon walk (pada yatra) across 11 districts of the State at Icchapuram in Srikakulam district on Sunday, he said that he had not undertaken the "pada yatra'' with any political motives, but only to familiarise himself with the problems of the people in the drought-hit State and to bring some solace to them. He said he had walked nearly 1,500 km during the yatra that lasted for 68 days. He said it would cost the State exchequer Rs 300-350 crore to subsidise power supply to farm pump sets and "to fulfil the other promises made by our party, such as reducing the power tariff to the poorest sections of society, it would require Rs 700-750 crore more''. He asserted that the State was in a position to bear the expenditure and the Congress party would keep the promises. To a query whether he did not see any need for formulation of a uniform national policy on power by the Congress, as he was claiming that his party was a national one, Dr Reddy replied that the necessities and priorities of different States were different. "For instance, paddy is grown mostly as a rain-fed crop in West Bengal, whereas in Andhra Pradesh it is grown in large tracts of irrigated lands as well as rain-fed uplands where the farmers would have to depend on pumpsets. In Rajasthan, the situation is totally different. So it is neither easy, nor is it necessary, to evolve a uniform policy for all the States,'' he explained. On the issue of Paragodu irrigation project, which had kicked up a controversy between the Congress-ruled Karnataka and the Telugu Desam-ruled Andhra Pradesh, he felt that the Telugu Desam was politicising the issue and raising a hue and cry.
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|