HYDERABAD: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Saturday alleged that the state government had neglected the farming community and failed to address critical issues related to paddy procurement, crop planning, and farmer welfare. He said that although the Congress came to power promising change, no significant improvement was visible in the lives of Telangana farmers.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office here, Kishan Reddy alleged that government agencies, rice millers, officials, and middlemen were playing with the lives of farmers.
He blamed the state government’s lack of planning and administrative inefficiency for the hardships faced by farmers, particularly during procurement seasons when harvested crops are damaged by untimely rains.
He said BJP leaders had launched the “Rythula Gosa - BJP Bharosa” outreach programme to highlight farmers’ problems, while Congress ministers remained confined to their offices.
The Union minister rejected the state government’s allegations that the Centre was responsible for procurement issues. He clarified that procurement centres, paddy purchases, transportation to rice mills, and related logistics fall under the responsibility of the state government. According to him, the Centre and the state had jointly agreed on a target of supplying 52.24 lakh metric tonnes of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during the current Kharif and Rabi seasons.
“If the Centre has already agreed to procure paddy corresponding to this target, the state government must explain why it failed to complete procurement,” he said, accusing the Congress government of shifting blame onto the Centre instead of fulfilling its responsibilities.
BJP BLAMES ADMINISTRATIVE FAILURE FOR PROCUREMENT WOES
Karimnagar: BJP state president N Ramchander Rao accused the state government of failing in paddy procurement and demanded immediate purchase of the remaining grain. He alleged that procurement had turned chaotic despite Central support, sought bonus payments for all paddy varieties and criticised minister Ponnam Prabhakar for not focusing on procurement issues