BRS demands Rs 500 bonus for all paddy varieties

The BRS leader pointed out that about 90 percent of the paddy cultivated in Telangana is of the coarse variety, which does not fetch a good market price.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Congress government’s decision to give a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal only for the fine rice variety.

Further, the party also demanded for payment of bonus to all varieties of paddy, effective from this Rabi (Yasangi) season.

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Following the State Cabinet’s decision to pay bonus to only fine rice variety and from the upcoming Vaanakalam (Kharif) season, BRS senior leader and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao said The Congress government in the State reneged on another election promise.

“They promised to give a monthly allowance of Rs 4,000 to the unemployed but denied it in the Assembly. Now, they have lied to the farmers about the bonus. The Congress promised to buy all varieties of paddy with a Rs 500 bonus per quintal as part of its six guarantees. But after coming to power, they backed out of this promise and cheated farmers once again,” he said.

The BRS leader pointed out that about 90 percent of the paddy cultivated in Telangana is of the coarse variety, which does not fetch a good market price.

“The fine rice variety, which makes up only 10 percent of the crop, has a higher market price than the Minimum Support Price. It’s unfair to give a bonus only to the fine variety and that too from the next season,” he said.

He criticised the government’s decision as deceptive and harmful to farmers.

“The latest announcement by the Ministers shows that the Congress government is not sincere about the welfare of farmers or the development of agriculture. Their promises were made only to gain power, not to benefit the farmers,” he asserted.

Harish Rao also reminded that the Congress government was yet to implement its promises of providing Rs 15,000 per acre to farmers and Rs 12,000 to agricultural laborers under Rythu Bharosa. “Even the loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh has not been implemented except for postponement,” he added.