Telangana will not set up paddy procurement centres in Rabi season: CM

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday said that the state government will not set up paddy procurement centres in the rabi season as the Centre has decided not to procure parboiled rice from Telangana.

As the Central government refused to purchase paddy in upcoming rabi season, farmers should not take up paddy cultivation in the summer crop season and no paddy procurement centres will be set up in the state, Rao told reporters after chairing the state cabinet meeting.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief said the BJP government at the Centre is confusing the country's farmers and accused the Centre of running away from its social responsibility and refusing to purchase rice from Telangana.

Rao said procurement of foodgrains is the Centre's responsibility and it has been the practice case since Independence, adding ''refusing to buy paddy indicates Centre's bankrupt state''.

''It is the duty of the Central government to procure foodgrains and maintain buffer stocks as ensuring the country’s food security is the responsibility of the Centre. It is sad that Centre was not ready to buy paddy...the Centre should not behave like a retailer,'' KCR (as Rao is also referred to) said.

He accused the Centre of failing to keep up its social responsibility and said the Centre was instead blaming the state governments and added he had never seen such a Central government.

He further accused the BJP government at the Centre of adopting adopting anti-farmers and anti-poor policies. ''Are the pros and cons assessed in the case of farmers' welfare'', he asked. KCR challenged Union Minister G Kishan Reddy to take steps to ensure parboiled rice is purchased by the Centre and alleged that the Central Ministers are telling lies and giving misguiding statements over paddy procurement issue.

KCR said the Centre has stated that it would only procure 40 lakh tonnes of paddy even as the production is expected to be 90 lakh tonnes.

He also criticised the Centre for ''not'' announcing the annual target for paddy procurement from Telangana. The TRS government has been demanding that the Centre announce the annual target for paddy procurement from Telangana. KCR, along with cabinet colleagues, recently held a dharna here over the issue.

''For the well-being of people of the country, especially the poor, BJP should be dethroned...BJP should be chased away from the country,'' KCR said. Alleging that the BJP government is a farmer-killing government, the CM said 750 farmers died during the protests over the three farm laws.

KCR claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the agri laws and apologised to farmers out of fear of losing the upcoming Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Assembly elections.

On India's Global Hunger Index 2021 ranking at 101st position, KCR said the country is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

''Distribute free rice as social responsibility. What is the development BJP-led central government achieved in seven years,'' he further asked. India slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) of 116 countries, from its 2020 position of 94th.

On the proposed amendment to Electricity Act, KCR said the Centre has put a knife on the neck of the States and farmers and wants to destroy farmers by fixing meters for power connections for farming. ''Why the Centre was bothered if Telangana gives free electricity to farmers. An end has to be put to the vicious BJP rule in the country,'' he said.

He said the TRS MPs were staging protests in Parliament over the issues of farmers.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)