HYDERABAD: Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday hinted at expanding welfare programmes to include more items to the list of essential commodities being provided under the Public Distribution System (PDS), emulating the models adopted by previous Congress governments.
“This will depend on our financial situation and resource mobilisation, but we are committed to broadening the support,” he said.
Addressing the media after holding a review on paddy procurement, he hailed the state’s unprecedented procurement achievement, marking the highest-ever purchase by a state in over 75 years of Independence.
The minister announced that the state procured 71.64 lakh metric tonnes of paddy worth a staggering Rs 19,000 crore during the Kharif season, benefiting over 15 lakh farmers. “This is not just a number. It’s a testament to our commitment to farmers’ welfare,” he said.
Uttam said that the government was actively drafting policies to promote export-oriented rice production and boost rice exports. “Telangana has significant potential for bulk export of rice annually, after meeting domestic requirements such as custom milled rice (CMR) supplies to the Food Corporation of India, Public Distribution System (PDS) needs, and local consumption,” he said.
Stressing the need for targeted incentives to encourage farmers to cultivate paddy varieties with high export demand, he said that the government would devise a comprehensive export promotion framework soon.
The minister said that the Civil Supplies department annually distributes `38,000 crore directly to farmers after the paddy procurement.
Census first phase in TG from April 1
Hyderabad: The first phase of the Population Census 2027, also known as the Houselisting Operations (HLO) phase, will be conducted across Telangana from April 1 to September 30.
Based on a notification issued by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), the state government issued the order on Thursday. The notification was issued by Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan.
The mammoth exercise to give a headcount of the country’s population will be conducted in two phases — houselisting and housing census from April to September 2026; and population enumeration (PE) in February 2027.
The housing census systematically lists out all the structures, houses and households throughout the country for the preparation of a sound frame for the conduct of the population enumeration.