2026

The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham along with the Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers’ Association have urged the State government to enhance crop loans, increase subsidies on agricultural inputs and provide compensation for crop losses to farmers’ and tenant cultivators before the commencement of the Kharif season. The associations staged a dharna in Vijayawada on Monday and later submitted a memorandum to NTR District Collector Dr. G. Lakshmisha. Addressing the gathering, Tenant Farmers’ Association State general secretary P. Jamalaiah and Rythu Sangham State vice-president Malneedi Yalamanda Rao demanded that the government increase the ‘scale of finance’ in line with rising cultivation costs and extend crop loans up to ₹2 lakh to tenant farmers without insisting on collateral or guarantees.

Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath on Sunday (February 22) announced that efforts were on to ensure that all farmers in NTR district adopt natural farming, with the ultimate goal of making the district a model for the entire nation. Participating in the organic farmers’ festival at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) stadium in the city, the MP said terrace gardening was also being encouraged in urban areas. Soon, seminars on organic farming would be conducted in every mandal through the Kesineni Foundation, the MP said, adding that plans were being made to conduct these seminars for 225 days.

The Collector inspected desilting and tank restoration works, interacted with workers about wages and progress, and later joined them in the activities. VIJAYAWADA: NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha on Friday joined MGNREGS labourers at Jodichintala tank in Mulapadu village of Ibrahimpatnam mandal as part of the Jaladhara-Jalaharathi programme. He said the district administration is implementing a large-scale action plan to restore water bodies and conserve groundwater. The Collector inspected desilting and tank restoration works, interacted with workers about wages and progress, and later joined them in the activities. He noted that 445 tanks across the district have been identified for development under Jaladhara, with works including desilting, bund strengthening, feeder channel restoration and improvements to storage capacity being taken up in phases through MGNREGS funds. Lakshmisha said 1,300 works worth Rs 87 crore have been sanctioned under the programme. Although the tanks have a combined storage capacity of 10.4 TMCs, only 5.5 TMCs are currently available. Efforts are underway to restore full capacity before the monsoon season. He added that the initiative will help improve groundwater levels, support agriculture.