Paddy procurement: Question the Centre, KCR tells TRS MPs

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao asked the TRS MPs not to compromise on the interests of the State and to question the Centre on paddy procurement.

The Chief Minister opined that the confusing policy adopted by the Center in grain procurement has become an issue for Telangana farmers and the country's agriculture sector.

In the wake of Parliament winter sessions starting from Monday, the CM convened a meeting of the parliamentary party at Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday, which was also attended by Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy. The Chief Minister took objection to the stand taken by the Centre on paddy procurement. He said that at least now the Centre should announce a national comprehensive policy on food grains. The Telangana government was committed to safeguard the interests of the farmers and agriculture sector and would question them on the parliamentary platform, he said, asking the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs also to question the government.

Its learnt that CM KCR have said that the State government has a lot of patience till now, but now it will question. The Chief Minister alleged that the Centre, which was changing its stand frequently on food grains procurement in the State, should procure 90 lakh metric tons of paddy. But they are procuring only 60 lakh metric tons (40 lakh metric tons of rice), which they have already said, he pointed out.

The Parliamentary party expressed its displeasure that though a delegation of Telangana Ministers went to Delhi and repeatedly appealed to Union Minister Piyush Goel, there was no response from the Centre. The leaders expressed anger over the Centre for not clarifying as to how much paddy it would procure from Yasangi production. Vexed with this, the Parliamentary party has decided to raise their voice in the Parliament.

The MPs were of the view that the attitude adopted by the Center had become adverse for the Telangana agricultural sector at a time when the Telangana farmers were standing as an ideal for the country's farmers in grain yield. KCR wanted the MPs to demand the Centre to have a 'Uniform National Food Grain Procurement Policy' for the country.