VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said that for the first time in India, crop insurance claims will be settled within 1-2 months of harvesting, and announced that such claims will be settled by the government, which also pays the crop insurance premium for farmers. Addressing the House on the first day of the Winter Session, he said insurance companies were not settling claims in time.
He pointed out that even claims from 2012 were not settled until the YSRC government came to power. “Farmers are not in a position to pay the premium, unsure of when it will be settled,” he said, and added that considering this, the government took up the responsibility to pay the premium and settle crop-insurance claims.
Elaborating on how the government proposes to settle the claims, Jagan said Kharif 20-20 crop-cutting experiments will conclude in January 2020. Insurance claims are determined based on the yield after crop-cutting experiments, and once the planning department gives the report of the yield and damages in February, crop insurance claims will be settled in March-April.
13 members suspended from House for a day
When members of the Opposition failed to return even after repeated appeals by the Speaker, the Leader of the House pointed out that there are several important Bills to be passed, and the Session is being conducted though the Winter Session of Parliament and the Telangana Assembly were not held due to Covid-19.
Jagan took exception to Naidu pointing his finger and using foul language against Kurnool MLA Hafeez Khan, and said, “He is not behaving in accordance with his age and stature, but using threatening gestures.” The CM then suggested that the Speaker call marshals to remove the members of the Opposition from the House.Minister for I&PR Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) introduced the motion to suspend 13 members, including Naidu, from the House for a day. The Speaker then suspended them and asked them to leave the House. When they refused, marshals were called to take them outside.
The suspended MLAs squatted at the entrance to the Assembly, and demanded that the government provide immediate aid to farmers whose crops were damaged by the cyclone.Meanwhile, Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy moved a resolution under Rule 77 condemning the behaviour of the Opposition MLAs, and said it crossed the limits of decency and set a bad precedent, and requested the Chair to take action to prevent such acts from recurring. The Speaker, describing the Leader of Opposition rushing to the podium as unprecedented and unfortunate, promised to examine the issue and adjourned the House for the day.
In the evening, Naidu said that for the sake of farmers he was forced to protest at the Speaker’s Podium for the first time and also suspended from the House for the first time.Calling Jagan a “fake CM”, he alleged the YSRC government had thrown all traditions of the Assembly to the wind and did not care to take up a meaningful debate.
Questioning the government for not allowing some channels to cover the Assembly proceedings, he asked whether the government thinks it can do whatever it wants. “We are a democracy. You cannot do as you want. Learn to give and take respect. You fake fellows want to play with the future of the State,” he thundered.
