Silence of farmer councils irks KCR

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is reportedly upset that the farmer coordination councils (FCCs), that were constituted at the village level to help farmers get minimum support price (MSP) for their produce, are inactive.

Though instances of farmers staging protests over not getting MSP for paddy and cotton are on the rise, the FCCs have not moved to come to the rescue of the farmers. The councils are supposed to act as a bridge between traders and farmers.

The delay on the part of government in defining the role and responsibility of FCCs is said to one of the reasons for the councils lying inactive.

At a meeting held with agriculture department officials recently, Mr Rao is learnt to have expressed his displeasure over the FCCs playing the role of spectators while farmers were protesting at being denied MSP. With Opposition parties staging agitations support of the farmers, these councils were nowhere to be seen.

It was brought to the CM’s notice that the councils lacked guidance in the absence of similar councils at mandal, district and state levels. Mr Rao retorted that it was no excuse for the FCCs to remain silent.

The government could only constitute village and mandal councils partially but has not formed the district and state councils due to intense lobbying from aspirants through ministers, MPs, MLAs and local TRS leaders.

The government is considered bringing an Act to give statutory status to these councils to perform their duties. However, no effort has been made in this direction to introduce the Bill in the ongoing Legislature session.

A senior agriculture official said, “There have been no instructions from the government to draft the Bill for this Assembly session. The Bill would likely be introduced in Budget session during February/March 2018”.

This would mean that these councils will remain inactive at least till March 2018.