Farmers, top priority to Telangana government says Minister Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: State Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy asked Telangana BJP leaders to work sincerely to convince the Centre and bring Turmeric Board or provide minimum support price to turmeric in the State.

He criticised the State BJP chief announcing a one-day Deeksha alleging that the State government has been neglecting the farmers' interests.

Niranjan Reddy said on Thursday, "Let them (BJP leaders) fight for bringing national project status to Kaleswaram, get additional funds to the State or fight for increasing the MSP procurement quota of the State."

Adding, "People of the State would be happy and welcome the BJP leaders, if they could bring something to the State, by convincing the Centre, instead of engaging in propaganda to please their party high command."

He also asked the BJP state leadership whether there is any other State government in the country which is purchasing agriculture produce of the farmers spending Rs 30,000 crore.

He reminded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has completed construction of Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) within a span of three- and- a- half years.

Similarly, the pending projects have been completed, besides, taking up construction of project like Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, he said.

Contrary to these achievements of the State government "the BJP leaders could not bring even Rs 3 to any of the Telangana projects fro the centre", he said.

He asked the BJP leaders to show one work which they have brought from the Centre to Telangana. Regarding the procurement, Niranjan Reddy asked whether the BJP leaders are not aware of the fact that the State government has been making repeated requests to the centre to increase the procurement quota to purchase agriculture produce with minimum support price.

He said CM KCR has directed to ensure that farmers are not at loss during the troubles caused by the lockdown. Against this backdrop, procurement centres have been opened at the village level to procure paddy. "So far 1,08,5237 metric tonnes of paddy has been procured through 4,996 procurement centres, the minister said.

Similarly, about 1,89,353 metric tonnes of maize through 84 procurement centres and 56,019 metric tonnes of Bengal gram has been procured through 11 centres, he said.