TS gets ready for vanakalam paddy procurement
Puvvada Ajay Kumar, State Minister
for transport
Khammam: The BJP government at the Centre which had refused to buy paddy produced by Telangana was ready to buy MLAs from the State, alleged Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar on Saturday. He also informed that as many as 380 paddy procurement centres were being set up in Kothagudem and Khammam districts for paddy procurement during the vanakalam season.
He reminded that the Centre had denied procuring paddy from Telangana last season and one of the Central Ministers even suggested people in the State eat broken rice. However, the BJP leadership was ready to spend Rs 100 crore to lure MLAs in the State.
Even after the Centre's failure to buy paddy from farmers, the TRS (BRS) government had spent thousands of crores of rupees to procure every grain of paddy produced by farmers in the yasangi season, Ajay Kumar claimed.
Referring to vanakalam paddy procurement the Minister informed that elaborate arrangements have been made for paddy procurement in erstwhile khammam district. As many as 380 paddy procurement centres were being set up in Kothagudem and Khammam districts for the purpose.
Because of the measures taken by the Chief Minister K Chandra Sekhar Rao, the Telangana State has become the storehouse of grains in the country. The State government has set up paddy purchase centres in all rural areas for the benefit of farmers.
Ajay Kumar informed that paddy purchase centres would be operational in Khammam and Kothagudem districts within two or three days, adding that he had already spoken to Khammam district Collector VP Gautham and Kothagudem district Collector Anudeep D regarding the arrangements.
Directions were given to the officials concerned to ensure that paddy purchase should be carried out in a transparent manner. Tarpaulin sheets and gunny bags along with required facilities to the farmers would be arranged at all purchase centres, he said.
The Minister told the farmers to bring paddy to the procurement centres duly following the prescribed standards and get the support price. The officials were told to take steps to see that farmers would not face any trouble from millers and no wastage should be deducted. Strict action would be taken if such incidents occurred; Ajay Kumar warned and said that the money would be deposited in the farmers' accounts within two days of buying paddy. Even if the money due from FCI was not received, the government would buy paddy, he said.