Warangal: Officials asked to speed up paddy procurement

Warangal: The State Government has so far procured more than 50 % of the paddy produced in the erstwhile Warangal district, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao said. In a review meeting with the officials here on Friday, he said that though the Centre was not extending any help, the State Government was committed to procure the paddy.

"While the target is to procure 12.16 lakh MT of paddy, the authorities have so far procured over 7 lakh MT in combined Warangal district. No other State is procuring the paddy except Telangana. In Chhattisgarh, the price of paddy is just Rs 1,200 per quintals. But the farmers in the State were getting Rs 1,888 per quintal for 'A' grade variety and Rs 1,868 per quintal for common variety," Errabelli said.

Stating that efforts are on to procure 100 per cent paddy produced in the State, the Minister assured farmers of purchasing the soaked and colour changed paddy also. He warned stern action against the millers if they harass the farmers.

Referring to the coronavirus pandemic, he said that the government had ensured oxygen supply and medicines required for the treatment. State-run hospitals in Parkal, Wardhannapet and Narsampet towns have also been equipped with facilities to treat coronavirus, he added. The minister instructed the agriculture wing officials to ensure the supply of seed and fertilisers before the onset of southwest monsoon. MPs P Dayakar, Banda Prakash, MLAs Aroori Ramesh, Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, G Venkatramana Reddy and Warangal Rural Collector M Haritha were among others present.

Elsewhere, the minister inaugurated a vaccination centre specially set up for super-spreaders at the Social Welfare Gurukula School at Devaruppula Mandal in Jangaon district.

"We have identified nearly 30 lakh super-spreaders across the State," Errabelli said. The number of Covid-19 cases started to come down with the government taking proper measures, he added. Stating that the Central Government has not allocated adequate quota of vaccines for the State, he said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is committed to address the shortfall by global tenders.