YSR crop insurance: Andhra govt to credit Rs 2589 crore into 38L farmers' accounts

The decision was taken in a state cabinet that met here under the stewardship of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday.

Information and Public Relations Minister Perni Venkatramaiah said YSR Rythu Bharosa will be implemented on May 13 by crediting Rs 4050 crore benefiting around 54 lakh farmers.

On May 25, farmers who suffered crop losses in Kharif 2020 would be reimbursed under YSR Free Crop insurance. "Rs 2589 crore will be credited into the accounts of 38,30,000 farmers. Plus Rs 10,000 would be paid to each fisherman's family on May 18 to compensate for the annual fishing ban in the sea," he said.

The cabinet took several other key decisions and gave a nod for imposing partial curfew across the State from Wednesday, where even APSRTC services will also be suspended after 12 noon. The cabinet discussed the pandemic situation, supply of oxygen, medicines, and the vaccination drive.

The cabinet approved to impose partial curfew limiting the working hours from 6 am to 12 noon. The minister said that Chief Minister has decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the vaccination programme stating that only a limited number of vaccine stocks are available in the state and to arrange more doses of vaccines. The cabinet decided to take special measures to address the oxygen issue in the state, by importing from Karnataka, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.

Education Minister Perni Nani said the cabinet approved for the implementation of CBSE syllabus in state schools from the coming academic year, where 44,639 schools will be having CBSE curriculum from class 7 and by 2024-25 first batch of Class X students will be passing out.

To revamp government schools under Nadu-Nedu and develop in all fields, the State government will be borrowing 250 Million Dollars (Rs 1860 crore) from World Bank at an interest of 2.5 percent, which has to be repaid in 10 years. The minister stated that the enrollments in government schools are going up because of the effective measures taken by the government.

To improve quality education in aided institutions, the state cabinet has put two options for the management, either to hand over their institutes to the government to run efficiently or turn them into complete private organizations.

The cabinet has given a nod for the amendment in AP Private University Act 2016 by allocating 35 percent of the University seats to the convener quota to benefit the merits from poor families and provide fee reimbursement and scholarships to the students. The government had decided to develop an engineering college under Yogi Vemana University in Proddatur with Rs 66 crore and a Degree college in Vempalli with Rs 20 crore.

The cabinet also decided to lease closed cooperative dairies that are listed under AP Dairy Development Corporation to Amul and collect the lease amount. As of date, after signing an MoU with Amul, their services were operational in 708 villages across the state. Aiming for Dairy Development, the State government sanctioned two Animal Husbandry Polytechnic colleges in Srikakulam and Chittoor districts.

The government approved to increase the honorarium for the priests, imams, mauzis, and pastors. A category temple priests would receive Rs 15,000. B Category priests would receive Rs 10,000 from the existing Rs 5,000. Similarly, imams would receive Rs 10,000, mauzis would receive Rs 5,000, and pastors Rs 5,000 as honorarium.

The cabinet also approved setting up of 176 PHCs at a cost of Rs 511.79 crore, ensuring three PHCs for each agency zone and two doctors for each primary health center along with one 104 vehicles. The cabinet also decided to pay Land Acquisition Compensation for the assigned lands on par with the owners of patta land and pay 10 percent extra for assigned lands belonging to SC-ST communities.

The cabinet approved allocating 66.49 acres of land to Greenland South Company for Rs 44 crore, where Rs 595 crore will be invested by the company and 850 people will be employed. Similarly, the Adidas Company has invested Rs 70 crore in Pulivendula which created employment for 2000 people. Another plant near Srikalahasti with an investment of Rs 700 crore will create employment for over 10,000 people.

Regarding Kadapa Steel Plant, the cabinet approved SBICap recommendations in handing the operations to ESSAR Steels. Also, the cabinet gave a nod to developing Krishnapatnam port located between Chennai-Bangalore and Hyderabad-Bangalore industrial corridors with Rs 1448 crore and further develop Kailasagiri-Bhogapuram region by laying 1-8 lane roads at a stretch of 19 KM. The state government will be developing 12 other projects in the Kailasagiri region like establishing a sky tower, aquarium tunnel, a loathing restaurant and developing 11 other beaches in the surrounding area.

At an expenditure of Rs 6190 crore, the government decided to widen the main canal of Handrineeva to provide drinking water in the Rayalaseema region and also take up phase-2 developmental works with Rs 9318 crore.

Further, the cabinet approved to lift irrigation from Polavaram dead storage with Rs 912 crore in order to meet the irrigation needs of Coastal AP. Also, Cabinet approves setting up of Eluru-Tandava Link Canal with Rs 470 crore and taking up YSR Palnadu Karuvu Nivarana scheme with Rs 2747 crore.