Different farmers coming under different categories have been offered packages by the AP government under the land pooling scheme.
An annual payment of Rs 30,000 would be made to dryland farmers with less than an acre of land, while farmers giving up ‘Jereebu’ (lands near Krishna river) would get Rs 50,000.
Farmers practicing horticulture would be redeemed of their debt up to Rs 1.50 lakh, while ‘Jereebu’ farmers would get 1,000 square feet of land for residential purpose and 450 square feet of land for commercial purpose. This will apply to all farmers who have given their consent letters to the pooling process.
In a strange and irritating turn of events for the government now, a majority of the farmers want their consent letters returned. They have come to the conclusion that they would actually be better off if Naidu invokes the ‘Land Acquisition Act’.
If Naidu goes in for the Act, then the farmers will be entitled to four times the market value of the lands. Maybe they realized that after visiting Anna Hazare’s dharna in Delhi.
Giving four times the market value will naturally blast a hole in Naidu’s pocket. Will he give the farmers their consent letters back? Highly unlikely!
