No Turmeric Board, rail coach factory for Telangana, Centre tells Parliament

Replying to questions raised by BRS MPs in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Ministers ruled out the rail coach factory and Turmeric Board.
Imafe for representational purpose
Imafe for representational purpose

HYDERABAD:  The Union government has once again made it clear that the State would not get railway coach factory and Turmeric Board. Replying to questions raised by BRS MPs in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Ministers ruled out the rail coach factory and Turmeric Board.

Replying to a question raised by Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta, Kavitha Malothu, Dayakar Pasunoori and Gaddam Ranjith Reddy on the constraints that the Centre was facing to set up the Turmeric Board in Nizamabad, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said: “Spices Board, a statutory autonomous body, set up under the Spices Board Act, 1986 is entrusted with the responsibility of promoting 52 spices including turmeric, coriander and chillies. There is, therefore, no proposal under consideration to establish a Turmeric Board or any other spice specific Board in the country”. 

To another question raised by Nama Nageswara Rao on establishing Railway Coach Factory (RCF) as assured by the Centre in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “There is no proposal as such under consideration for setting up of a Rail Coach Factory at Telangana. Rail Coach Factories are sanctioned in Indian Railways based on the requirement of the rolling stocks. Factories already sanctioned are sufficient enough to meet Indian Railways’ requirement of rolling stocks in the near future”. 

TS red chilli in demand 

To another question raised by Kotha Prabhakar Reddy on the exports of Teja variety of red chilli to China, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries from Khammam, Anupriya Patel said that Khammam district of Telangana was one of the major producers of Teja variety of red chilli and this variety was being exported from India to different destinations like Bangladesh etc. 

“The major port of shipment for chilli from India is Chennai port. Variety-wise export details of chilli from India are not available as there are no separate ITC HS codes for different varieties of chilli. The export of chilli from India increased from 4,43,900 tonnes in 2017-18 to 5,57,168 tonnes in 2021-22, she said. Anupriya Patel said that the red chilli crop was affected by an invasive pest, black thrips (Thripsparvispinus Karny), in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the higher cost of cultivation was due to extra investment on black thrips management. She said that during 2022-23, the prices of red chilli have increased in Guntur market from an average price of Rs 5,639 per quintal in 2017-18 to Rs 16,417 per quintal in 2022-23.

5G in 19 TS cities

To another question of BB Patil on the availability of 5G network in the State, Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan said that 5G services were started in 19 cities of Telangana viz. Suryapet, Adilabad, Hyderabad, Jagtial, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kodad, Kothagudem, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Nalgonda, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Ramagundam, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Tandur, Warangal and Zaheerabad. The Minister said that BSNL was providing 3G/4G services in all 33 districts of the State.

TS SPENT ALMOST 50% OF SSA FUNDS, RS TOLD
 

Hyderabad: BJP MP K Laxman was on Wednesday elected to the committee on public accounts. He will serve from May 1, 2023 till April 30, 2024 as one of the seven members on the panel.  To a question raised by Laxman in the Rajya Sabha on the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds utilised by the State government, Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi replied stating that Rs 1,198.39 crore has been spent in Telangana (including the State’s share) till date, of the total outlay of Rs 2,401.34 crore for 2022-23. Of a total outlay of Rs 2,142.48 crore in 2021-22 Rs 1,349.36 crore was utilised in the State under SSA, Rs 1,201.75 crore of an outlay of Rs 2,285.54 crore for 2020-21, Rs 1,191.20 crore of an outlay of Rs 2,631.61 crore in 2019-20, and Rs 1,000.21 crore of an outlay of Rs 2,285.31 crore in 2018-19 have been utilised in the State under SSA, she said.
 

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