VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that farmers have largely benefited under the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government, Minister for Civil Supplies Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao has said there is not an iota of truth in reports in a section of media that irregularities have taken place in paddy procurement.
Speaking to mediapersons on Sunday, he alleged that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had encouraged middlemen in procurement of paddy, when he was the Chief Minister. “The previous TDP regime has procured just 2.65 crore metric tonnes of paddy from 17.94 lakh farmers in five years and paid Rs 40,236 crore to them. Compared to that, the YSRC government has procured 3.10 crore metric tonnes of paddy from 32.78 lakh farmers in just four years and paid Rs 58,765 crore to them,” he said.
Farmers are well aware of the fact that Naidu had not done any good to them and did not provide even input subsidies. Unlike the previous TDP regime, the YSRC government has taken total care of farmers and even cleared 2014 input subsidy dues, he explained.
“We tried to procure Bondalu variety of paddy, but farmers have not sold it. Generally, our farmers stock that variety till Onam festival in Kerala and that way they get more price for their produce, which is Rs 1,900 per quintal and it is more than the MSP. We have even procured paddy damaged in rains at an MSP of Rs 1,530 per quintal,” he elaborated.Karumuri asserted that people would teach a fitting lesson to Naidu and his son Lokesh for their blatant lies and vile language.
