Karimnagar: Gangula confronted by paddy farmers

Karimnagar: BC Welfare Minister G Kamalakar faced the ire of farmers over the State government's faulty approach towards paddy procurement. The farmers asked the minister to clarify the government stand on paddy procurement and complained that the government was confusing the farmers on fine and coarse paddy procurement. They also sought to know whether it was the State or the Centre that would be procuring paddy.

The incident occurred when Kamalakar inaugurated a paddy procurement centre at Durshed in Karimnagar rural mandal on Friday. He turned impatient at the farmer's questioning and told them to wait until he answers and said the State was abiding by the agricultural laws brought by the Centre. He further noted that a Telangana delegation was going to meet Central ministers in New Delhi and asked BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar and G Kishan Reddy to join them. The farmers demanded the minister to ensure supply of gunny bags and procurement of the entire paddy.

Later, the minister inaugurated grain purchasing centres at Nagnur in Karimnagar Rural mandal and Kothapalli village in Kothapalli mandal. Speaking on the occasion, he said that in the past, farmers have faced many difficulties in cultivating their crops due to lack of electricity and water.

After the creation of Telangana state, Chief Minister KCR took up the ambitious Kaleshwaram project to help farmers get abundant water to cultivate their crops. Due to the provision of free electricity to agriculture there was significant growth in crops being grown in the State. Telangana has risen to the level of feeding the country. The government has decided to open 6540 purchasing centres for the purchase of paddy in Vanakalam season. 1762 purchasing centres have already been opened and 2 lakh metric tonnes of grain has been procured.

Farmers in the district have cultivated paddy in 2.72 lakh acres and it was estimated that 4. 86 lakh metric tonnes of paddy would be brought to purchasing centres. Kamalakar laid the foundation stone for a warehouse in Durshed village. Vice sarpanch Sunki Shala Sampath Rao participated in the programme.