Hyderabad:Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday lashed out at what he termed “malicious propaganda” by opposition parties on paddy procurement, accusing them of deliberately misleading farmers.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, he sought to allay farmers’ concerns, stating that a state-level nodal officer was continuously supervising procurement centres. A dedicated control room had also been set up at the Civil Supplies Department headquarters to monitor operations.
He said a special mechanism was in place to provide real-time weather updates to procurement centres. “A token system has been introduced to ensure farmers do not have to wait unnecessarily,” he added.
The minister accused the BRS of spreading false information about infrastructure at procurement centres. He asserted that under the Congress government, centres were being equipped on an unprecedented scale. “Despite electoral setbacks in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and municipal polls, BRS leaders have not learnt their lesson,” he said, claiming Telangana had achieved record crop yields and procurement levels.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said paddy cultivation during the current Rabi season covered 67 lakh acres, with an estimated yield of 141 lakh metric tonnes. The government had allocated ₹21,000 crore for procurement and was prepared to procure 90 lakh metric tonnes. So far, 17.28 lakh metric tonnes had been procured and ₹2,310 crore paid to farmers, he said.
Refuting claims of crop damage due to unseasonal rains, he said 2.63 lakh tarpaulins had been arranged. He added that 8,575 procurement centres had been set up, 18.75 crore gunny bags made available, and storage capacity created for 64.83 lakh metric tonnes, with additional space for 11.20 lakh metric tonnes. Around 6,200 vehicles had been deployed to transport grain to mills.
Terming farmer deaths at procurement centres as “unfortunate”, he said immediate compensation was being provided. He added that procurement was being carried out in both morning and evening shifts, and advisories had been issued to avoid standing under trees or near electric poles during lightning.
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