Notices served to FCI, State, Central governments

The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A Rajashekar Reddy on Monday issued notices to the Telangana government, Food Corporation of India and the Secretary, Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, directing them to respond to the notices by December 6, duly explaining the reasons for not procuring paddy from farmers despite the fact that the State government during a virtual on August 17 with the Secretary, Union Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department agreed and gave an estimation that it will procure 40 lakh metric tonnes of rice for the period between October 2021 and January 2022.

Petitioner's counsel Abhinav Krishna Uppaluri informed the Bench that lakhs of tonnes of paddy was lying idle at the procurement centres, only to face the wrath of the officials who were denying purchase of paddy despite the State's assurance before the Union government and now the State backtracking on its promise due to which the farmers were resorting to suicide across the State. After hearing the contentions of the petitioner's counsel, the Bench adjourned the PIL to Dec 6.