Cong demands waiving of farmers’ electricity bills, writes to CM

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu on Sunday wrote a letter to the chief minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding waiving of all electricity bills of farmers and other reliefs to them.

Lallu in his letter to CM demanded that the state government besides waiving all electricity bills of farmers, it should also provide Rs 2,000 aid to each farmer to help him sow paddy as the farmers were financially drained under the lockdown. He said, “Revised and higher rates of power is a cause of concern for farmers in the state. They have run out of cash and under the circumstance, their electricity bills raised against use of tubewells as well as against domestic consumption should be waived off. The waiver should apply on the surcharge as well.”

The UPCC president said that all the talks, promises, and instructions for wheat procurement from farmers’ fields and homes fizzled out as mere rhetoric.

“I request you at least ensure payments to those farmers who went to the procurement centres and sold their produce there. At the same time, cane dues too should be paid to the cane farmers,” he added.

Lallu not only demanded availability of seeds and fertilizers to farmers but also said that the government must waive interest on farm loans for four months and all the recovery notices and penalties on dues on Kisan Credit Cards must be recalled.

The Congress state president also suggested that the government should evolve a system to buy vegetables from farmers and make on the spot payments in cash to them. Lallu, while referring to an earlier letter written by the Congress general secretary and UP in charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said that the government should consider her suggestions in the interest of farmers.