THANJAVUR: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday dismissed AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s claims on paddy procurement in delta districts as “baseless and politically motivated”.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the loading of paddy sacks onto freight trains in Thanjavur, Udhayanidhi said, “The claims made by the Opposition leader are completely false. Since September 1, as many as 1,825 paddy procurement centres have been opened across Tamil Nadu. Within just 50 days of the Kuruvai season, the government has procured a record 10 lakh tonnes of paddy, something unprecedented in history.”
Of this, 8 lakh tonnes had already been transported to storage godowns and the remaining 1.93 lakh tonnes of paddy would be shifted within 10 days, he added. “There is adequate space to store another 2 lakh tonnes of paddy in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai. So, the allegation that there’s no room for new stocks is completely untrue,” Udhayanidhi clarified.
On Wednesday, Palaniswami had paid visits to direct procurement centres in the delta region. Refuting Palaniswami’s claim of reduced procurement, Udhayanidhi said, “Last year, Thanjavur had only 200 procurement centres during the Kuruvai season. This year, we have increased it to 300. In centres like Thenmanadu and Okkur Keelaiyur, 3,000 sacks (of paddy) are procured daily, and 2,000 sacks in places like Orathanadu and Thiruvaiyaru.”
He further said, “The government has also requested the centre to relax the permissible moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22%, as demanded by farmers. The union government today (Thursday) formed a committee to review this request.” Rejecting charges of transport shortages, the deputy CM said, “At centres where 20,000 sacks were procured, 16,000 have already been moved by lorries.”
Ministers R Sakkarapani, K Ponmudi, T R B Rajaa, and District Collector P Priyanka Pankajam accompanied the deputy CM during the inspection.
