Procurement delays expose Congress government’s poor planning in Telangana

The Telangana government launched a 10-day special drive to speed up paddy procurement amid criticism over delays. Officials are under pressure to meet revised targets as farmers continue raising concerns over pending procurement, delayed payments and distress sales across the State

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s lack of planning and weak administrative control have once again come under scrutiny during the ongoing procurement season. Several recent developments indicate that the Congress government responded to key issues only after pressure from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao held a massive public meeting in Jagityal on April 20. Soon after the meeting, the State government began depositing the second instalment of the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Though the government had promised to release the amount within 20 days of the first instalment on March 22, the payment was delayed.

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Farmers and BRS leaders staged protests across the State over delays in procurement and inadequate arrangements at procurement centres. Following mounting criticism, the Chief Minister conducted a video conference with District Collectors on May 12 and directed officials to complete procurement in mission mode.

On Sunday, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao announced that the government would procure additional stocks of maize, jowar and sunflower from farmers this season. Farmers had been demanding procurement support for several weeks, while the State government continued to blame the Centre over the issue.

Similarly, BRS leaders from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar region announced a padayatra on May 15 to protest the delay in completing the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).

Last Tuesday, the Chief Minister reviewed the status of PRLIS with Ministers and MLAs from the erstwhile Palamuru region. Following the meeting, the State Cabinet approved the release of Rs 587 crore on Saturday for land acquisition related to the project.

These developments, political observers say, reflect the government’s reactive approach to issues concerning farmers. The procurement exercise also exposed poor coordination among departments. Despite repeated assurances on the supply of gunny bags, tarpaulins and transportation facilities, many procurement centres continued to face shortages. Farmers expressed frustration over delays in lifting procured stocks from the centres.

“This is a clear case of poor planning, lack of coordination between departments and weak monitoring by officials,” Telangana Farmers Federation president Namireddy Yadagiri Reddy said. He said that during the previous BRS government, review meetings on procurement arrangements were held well before the season began. In-charge Ministers and local MLAs regularly monitored operations at IKP centres, ensuring smoother procurement.

“That level of planning and monitoring is missing under the present Congress government. Despite having two Ministers from the erstwhile Nalgonda district, procurement delays continue and nearly 20 per cent of stocks are yet to be purchased in Miryalguda alone,” Yadagiri Reddy added.