Middlemen who vandalised the e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) facility at Khammam agriculture market yard have been allowed to go scot free and chilli farmers are being victimised instead, BJP State president K. Laxman said.

The Centre has introduced the e-NAM, the online trading platform for fair price discovery, in as many as 44 market yards to eliminate the middlemen and ensure better prices to farmers. The recent attack on Khammam market yard was masterminded by some forces inimical to the e-NAM transparent system and some middlemen had entered the yard disguised as traders and resorted to vandalism, however, the police booked cases against 10 chilli farmers, who had come to the market yard to sell their produce on April 28, he charged.

Mr. Laxman along with member of Parliament from Bastar in Chhattisgarh Dinesh Kashyap was in the town to attend a meeting of the party booth level committees in Khammam Parliamentary constituency on Wednesday.

‘Diluting schemes’

Taking a swipe at the TRS government, Mr. Laxman alleged that the State government was trying to dilute the Central schemes by diverting the allocated funds and delaying the release of its share of funds to the schemes.

“Though the Centre has announced a support price for chilli under the market intervention scheme on May 2, the State government has failed to initiate concrete steps to provide succour to the chilli growers till date. The State government should immediately allocate at least Rs. 300 crore and press into service the State agencies to procure the entire chilli produce from the farmers at a fair price plus a bonus of Rs. 2000 a quintal,” he said. Mr. Dinesh said the BJP government in Chhattisgarh earned a wide reputation as a pro-farmer regime owing to implementation of a slew of schemes, including interest-free crop loans and free power supply for 5 hp pumps.

The BJP is set to make rapid strides in Telangana to usher in comprehensive development of the new State, he said, adding that the Chhattisgarh government had entered into an agreement with the Telangana government to supply 1000 MW power.

BJP national president Amit Shah will address a party meeting of booth level workers of Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency in the State capital on May 24.

Source: TheHindu