Harish Rao exposes Govt’s false claims of procuring rain-soaked paddy

The driver, who carried the load from Mutaiyakota to Bejjanki, informed him that the paddy that got wet had not been purchased and that they were waiting for this to happen for the last three days.

Hyderabad: Cornering the State government over its claims on paddy procurement, former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao demanded the State Cabinet to review its decision to limit the Rs.500 bonus to only fine varieties of paddy.

He also rubbished the Ministers’ claims of purchasing rain-soaked paddy as misleading and demanded that the government purchase the paddy without any differentiation. Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Harish Rao exposed the false claims of the State government, stating that farmers were being forced to wait for their paddy to be purchased at procurement centres for several days.

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“This is not only causing them unnecessary financial burden, but also causing trauma as they wait with the fear of unseasonal rains,” he said. Showcasing the plight of farmers in reality, the former Minister telephoned a lorry driver Prabhakar Reddy in front of the media and asked whether the paddy in his vehicle was unloaded.

The driver, who carried the load from Mutaiyakota to Bejjanki, informed him that the paddy that got wet had not been purchased and that they were waiting for this to happen for the last three days.

Harish Rao also shared the woes of farmers from Pulimamidi Kishtapur in Chegunta mandal of Medak district, who sent five paddy-loaded lorries to Gagulapur in Siddipet district and were waiting for their turn. One of the farmers Santosh informed him that officials were refusing to procure their produce and asking them to come later.

Upon repeated requests, he said the officials agreed to purchase them only if they remove 50 bags of paddy as wastage.

“Farmers have been paying the expenses for lorry drivers from their pockets for the last five days. The District Collectors of Medak and Siddipet as well as other officials concerned must respond immediately and resolve the issue,” he demanded. The Siddipet legislator slammed the State government’s decision to restrict Rs.500 bonus per quintal paddy to only fine variety of paddy, dubbing it as gross injustice to farmers.

He pointed out that about 90 per cent of farmers cultivate coarse varieties during the Rabi (Yasangi) season.

“If the government provided the bonus of Rs 500 per quintal to all varieties, it would cost about Rs 6,000 crore for the exchequer. But by restricting it to only fine varieties, the government has to spend only Rs 500 crore,” he added.

Further, Harish Rao demanded the Congress government which claims to be implementing Rythu Bharosa, but not Rythu Bandhu for farmers, to compensate and pay Rs 2,500 per acre for the Rabi season along with investment support of Rs 7,500 per acre for the upcoming Kharif (Vaanakalam) season.