Telangana is considering scrapping the Rs 500 per quintal bonus for fine paddy following the Centre’s advice, amid rising surplus stocks, fiscal pressure, and concerns over crop imbalance ahead of the upcoming Rabi season.
Farmers in Nalgonda staged a protest on the Addanki-Narketpally road, alleging rice millers were forming a syndicate and refusing to pay remunerative prices for fine rice varieties. Prices dropped from Rs. 2,700 per quintal to Rs. 2,250–2,550 after April 1, leading to unrest.
Indications are that new ration cards to be issued to Below Poverty Line families would sport Tricolour with Congress stamp; Above Poverty Line family cards likely to be green coloured
The Civil Supplies Corporation, responsible for the food security program under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), has proposed starting the distribution of fine rice on Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, on March 30, 2025. This proposal is currently awaiting approval from the State government.
Already 36 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured and unlike in the past within three days, the amount was deposited into the farmers’ accounts, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy told the media after the Cabinet meeting here.
