Stop physical verifications in rice mills: Gangula Kamalakar
Karimnagar: BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister, Gangula Kamalakar wanted the FCI authorities to stop physical verifications in rice mills. The Central government was creating hurdles to shift paddy to rice mills in the name of physical verification, he said and asked FCI officials not to create troubles for farmers and rice millers in the […]
Karimnagar: BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister, Gangula Kamalakar wanted the FCI authorities to stop physical verifications in rice mills. The Central government was creating hurdles to shift paddy to rice mills in the name of physical verification, he said and asked FCI officials not to create troubles for farmers and rice millers in the name of checking.
Officials could carry out verifications after completion of the paddy procurement process. Telangana government would cooperate with the FCI for verifications after completion of procurement process, he informed and made it clear that there was no question of excusing rice millers if anybody was indulged in irregularities. The minister inaugurated paddy procurement centers in Baddipalli, Asifnagar, and Nagulamalyala of Kothapalli mandal of Karimnagar constituency on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Kamalakar said despite the union government’s refusal to purchase rice from the state in the Yasangi season, the state government came forward to procure the crop by bearing the entire expenditure. To make payments to farmers immediately, it was mandatory to upload paddy details in an online procurement management system (OPMS) by dumping the crop in rice mills. However, the process was delayed due to the physical verification being undertaken by the FCI. Shifting of the produce to rice mills has to be stalled during the time of verification.
The minister wanted the union minister Kishan Reddy to take initiative to help the farmers by stalling verifications since it was not the right time for physical verification. Talking about opposition parties’ hue and cry about procurement arrangements, he said that though the state government made elaborate arrangements to procure paddy from farmers, political parties as well as some media houses were trying to confuse farmers by making false propaganda.
Refusing opposition allegations that gunny bags were not available at PPCs, the Minister said that it was estimated that 15 crore gunny bags were required to procure the crop in the Yasangi season. 1.62 crore bags were available by the time when the procurement process was started, he informed and added that they managed to pool four crore bags by May 1. As on May 2, 7.67 crore gunny bags were mobilized.
So far, 3.80 lakh metric tons of paddy was purchased from 49,875 farmers by establishing 3,381 PPC centers as against 6,812 centers required to be established across the state. 3.54 lakh metric tons of paddy (Rs 742 crore worth) was already shifted to rice mills. Amount would be deposited in the bank accounts of farmers within two day of acknowledgement by rice millers. In Karimnagar, 8,600 metric tons of paddy was procured from 1,373 farmers by establishing 249 PPCs.
Earlier, farmers used to wage agitations for water and current supply. However, the situation has changed after the formation of a separate Telangana state. Besides abolishing water user charges, 24 hours free current, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima have been provided for the welfare of farmers. Water bodies in the state were overflowing even in the midsummer following the construction of irrigation projects. Ground water table has scaled abnormally.
As a result, the yield of paddy crop has also been enhanced to 30 bags from 20 per acre of land. All these were materialized only because of visionary decisions taken by the Chief Minister K Chandrashekahar Rao. However, the central government has escaped from its responsibility of procuring paddy from farmers by providing a minimum support price, he blamed.
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