BRS flays Congress government’s new urea distribution policy

BRS leader S Niranjan Reddy criticised the Congress government’s app-based urea distribution system, calling it flawed and anti-farmer. He alleged that the policy could worsen shortages, burden farmers with extra costs and create divisions among cultivators.

Hyderabad: BRS leader and former Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Tuesday condemned the Congress government’s new app-based urea distribution system, accusing it of punishing genuine farmers and harbouring a grudge against tenant farmers. Reddy described the policy as a thoughtless move that could add to the urea crisis and said it may create a rift among farmers.

Stating that the handling of urea distribution itself was faulty, he questioned why shortages persisted only under Congress rule. He argued that the policy, aligned with the Tenancy Act, appeared to be designed to sow discord between land-owning farmers and tenant farmers. “This could deter genuine farmers from leasing out their land, potentially leading to a conspiracy-like reduction in overall cultivation,” Reddy said.

---

Highlighting practical flaws, Reddy criticised the “book urea from home” initiative as suspicious, warning that it opens the door for middlemen to book supplies in the names of farmers. He pointed out challenges for illiterate farmers and those unfamiliar with smartphones, who may face serious difficulties.

“In agency areas with no network coverage, how will the government resolve these issues?” he asked. Reddy further accused the administration of failing to educate farmers on proper urea usage, calling its efforts mere “window dressing”.

He criticised the statewide rollout of the new system without testing it as a pilot project in select districts and labelled it an “ill-conceived move”. He also claimed that the government’s measures were burdening farmers with transport costs that exceeded the price of urea itself. Dismissing the requirements of Aadhaar, pattadar passbooks and OTP verification as a “farce”, Reddy contrasted the current regime with the previous BRS government under K Chandrashekhar Rao.

“Under K Chandrashekhar Rao’s rule, farmers lived like kings. Now, under Congress, they face hardships from cultivation to crop sales,” he said. Reddy also recalled unfulfilled promises, including the Rythu Bharosa scheme, which was pledged at Rs.15,000 per acre but reduced to Rs.12,000 and allegedly skipped four times. The promised Rs.500 bonus per quintal of paddy has “vanished without a trace”, with farmers still awaiting clearance of old dues. “The Congress government has a clear grudge against farmers and is creating obstacles at every step,” Reddy added.