State to introduce YSR gold medal for farmers

The agriculture minister, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, released 1.5 tmc ft of water to 42 tanks located up to Dharmavaram from the Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir (PABR) at Korrakolla in Urvakonda mandal of Anantapur district on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that water has been released from the PABR to low-lying areas for the last five years. He said that water would be released from the PABR for the next two months to meet the agricultural needs.
The minister hailed former chief minister Y.S. Raja-sekhar Reddy’s initiative for increasing PABR water storage to 10 tmc ft that fa-cilitated drinking water supply to summer storage tank in Anantapur and Neelakantapuram water scheme.
He exuded confidence that drinking water from Sriram Reddy project would be discharged to 100 villages by next week and another 1,000 villages would be bro-ught under this project by next year.
Later, he participated in ideal farmers rally taken out from Arts College to Saptagiri Circle.
He participated as chief guest in Sankranti Sambaralu programme arranged to felicitate ideal farmers in the district at KSR Girls Junior College in Anantapur.
The district collector, Mr B. Janardhan Reddy, pre-sided over the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion Mr Raghuveera Reddy announced that state government would introduce YSR commemorative gold medal to honour farmers, employees and scientists who strive for welfare of farmers from next Sankranti Sambaralu programme. He said that he had invited the major irrigation minister, Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah, to the district to set foundation stone for an aqueduct near Guntakal on January 28.
The Anantapur MP, Mr A. Venkatarami Reddy, said that it was possible only for the Congress government to release Rs 600 crores crop yield insurance premiums especially for Anantapur district out of total sanctioned Rs 800 crores.