GUNTUR: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar assured full support to tobacco farmers during his visit to the J Panguluru procurement centre on Thursday.
He directed officials to purchase at least 500 bales daily and ensure that no crop goes to waste. Farmers had raised concerns over slow procurement and rejection of bales due to alleged quality issues. He promised to set up a new procurement centre at Korisapadu soon.
He slammed ex-CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for staging “dramatics” like mango-dumping protests, contrasting it with the coalition government’s initiative to procure mangoes at support prices. He highlighted that Rs 270 crore has been allocated for tobacco procurement—calling it a first-of-its-kind move by any State government. At Medarametla ZP High School, the minister distributed 452 bicycles to students under the ‘PTM 2.0’ initiative.
He credited Minister N Lokesh for educational reforms and said the ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ scheme honours parents who support their children’s education. Promising improved infrastructure, he said new restrooms for Korisapadu school.