Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed the agriculture department officials to counter the misinformation being spread on urea supply. He advised them to correct any mistakes, and at the same time, if anyone is spreading fake propaganda, they should identify such people and give a suitable answer. Finally, he said that farmers should not face any problems in the matter of fertilizer supply.
The Chief Minister held a teleconference with the Chief Secretary, DGP, Intelligence, Vigilance and senior officials of the agriculture department on the availability and supply of fertilizers in the state. He inquired about the availability and supply of fertilizers district-wise. The officials explained to the CM that fertilizers and urea have been made available to meet the needs of Kharif.
He asked the officials how much fertilizers are being supplied through Markfed. Later, he said ‘The allocation of fertilizers to private dealers should be reduced and more supply should be made to farmers through Markfed. Plans should be prepared so that 70 percent of fertilizers are provided to farmers through Markfed’.
CM Chandrababu made it clear that the fertilizers coming to the state should not be diverted. He said that vigilance checks on urea and other fertilizer stocks should be intensified and all fertilizer stocks, including urea, should be inspected. Urea should not be diverted for non-agricultural needs anywhere, he said.
If fertilizers are diverted to the black market, the Chief Minister cautioned not hesitate to register cases and take strict action against those who sell at inflated prices. He also directed to cancel the licenses of dealers who divert fertilizers. He also inquired about the extent to which information is being updated on the IMFS portal.
Meanwhile, the Revenue Department has decided to give powers like allocating lands to government institutions and departments at the district level and finalizing prices to collectors. If those powers already exist, it intends to take steps to increase them further and implement them. In this regard, the Revenue Department has recently prepared some proposals.
The Revenue Department has stated in its proposals that the Collectors should have the authority to allocate lands to government departments, institutions and other needs as required for the development of the district, and that if it is not implemented properly, there should be procedures to ensure that it is strictly implemented.
It has been clarified that the Collector should have the authority to allocate lands to government institutions, corporations, departments, industries and other needs. However, who should have the authority to allocate how much land? It has been stated that the decision on the extent to which the Collector should be given the authority to finalize their price should be taken at the government level.
