NALGONDA: Expressing confidence that the Congress would win both Sircilla and Siddipet Assembly constituencies — seats represented by BRS strongmen KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao respectively — in the next elections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday announced that he would visit Sircilla by the end of this month.
“After that, I will visit Siddipet in October. I challenge the Kalvakuntla family to face the Congress in the elections,” the chief minister thundered, addressing a massive public meeting at Nakrekal in Nalgonda district.
“We are ready to settle the matter in Sircilla and Siddipet. Let the Kalvakuntla family brace themselves. We will give a fitting reply. Let’s settle this in the upcoming elections,” he said.
Claiming that the BRS had no political future, Revanth said the Congress would retain power for a second consecutive term by winning 90 of the 119 Assembly seats in the state. He said ‘Indiramma Rajyam’ would continue for two terms, until 2034.
Revanth also took a swipe at BRS president and Leader of the Opposition K Chandrasekhar Rao over his absence from the Assembly. He challenged KCR to attend the session and participate in a debate on the performance of the government.
The chief minister said the government was ready to debate every issue in the Assembly and questioned why the Leader of the Opposition was not attending the sessions. He said employees could face dismissal if they failed to report for duty for 365 days, and alleged that KCR had received `22.24 crore in salary from the government without attending the Assembly.
“Should he be dismissed or not? Wasn’t the salary KCR received paid from taxes collected from the poor?” Revanth asked.
He said KCR should resign as MLA from Gajwel and face a byelection if he was unwilling to attend the Assembly. He also accused the former chief minister of confining himself to his farmhouse while his party criticised the Congress government.
TG to procure 65 lakh MT paddy, sets aside Rs 18,250 cr
Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday directed officials to make foolproof arrangements for Telangana’s Rs 18,250 crore kharif paddy procurement operation, with the state preparing to procure 65 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) during the 2026-27 kharif marketing season.
The state plans to open 8,283 procurement centres by October 1, including 3,180 IKP centres, 4,372 PACS centres and 731 operated by other agencies. Uttam asked officials to assess national and international demand for the seven preferred paddy varieties identified by the State and develop a long-term strategy to export Telangana rice.
“Government-procured grain was sometimes subsequently disposed of at prices lower than the procurement cost. A policy that encourages exports could create stronger demand for Telangana produce while reducing the financial burden arising from such price differentials,” Uttam explained.
The state estimates kharif paddy production at 119.57 LMT from 57.70 lakh acres, while TGSCSCL plans to procure 65 LMT — 45 LMT of fine paddy and 20 LMT of coarse paddy. With peak arrivals expected in November and December at 24.72 LMT and 25.32 LMT respectively, Uttam directed officials to make advance arrangements for storage, gunny bags, transport and hamalies. Flagging transport concerns, he asked officials to ensure contractors bidding for the work either own or have assured access to the required number of lorries.
Against a requirement of 16.25 crore gunny bags, 3.50 crore are currently available, with the rest being procured. Districts were asked to prepare storage plans covering AMC yards, SWC and CWC godowns, Rythu Vedikas, government facilities and other permissible spaces.