Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday accused the Union government of failing to procure harvested crops and urged Left parties to join the crop procurement fight against the Centre.
During a meeting with a CPM delegation at the Secretariat, Revanth Reddy said the Centre was limiting itself to announcing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) while avoiding responsibility in the procurement of paddy and maize.
He claimed that the Union government was not procuring even 30 percent of the harvested produce. In contrast, he said, the Telangana government was purchasing every grain cultivated by farmers.
The Chief Minister appealed to Left party leaders to intensify the crop procurement fight and mount pressure on the Centre over procurement operations.
Revanth Reddy also informed the CPM leaders about difficulties in procurement activities. He said a shortage of Hamalis affected operations because many loaders had gone to West Bengal during the elections.
He added that severe heat wave conditions were disrupting procurement work during afternoon hours at procurement centres.
Crop procurement fight and farmer relief measures
The Chief Minister said he was continuously reviewing procurement operations across the state. He stated that the Telangana government was already paying a Rs. 500 bonus per quintal for fine variety paddy.
He further said the government was also ensuring MSP for maize to provide relief to farmers.
The meeting also covered the Musi Rejuvenation project. Revanth Reddy briefed CPM leaders on rehabilitation measures being extended to families displaced along the Musi river.
He said the government was sanctioning houses for displaced families under the project.
The Chief Minister stated that the Musi project would transform the riverfront into a world-class tourist destination and generate large-scale employment opportunities for local youth.
At the same time, he criticised the BRS and BJP for politicising the Musi project. He also highlighted the pollution problems affecting people in Nalgonda district due to contamination of the Musi river.
“My objective is to provide a quality life to the citizens of the city,” Revanth Reddy said.
Crop procurement fight discussed with CPM delegation
The Chief Minister also discussed reforms in the education sector during the meeting. He said the government was overhauling the education system to improve access to quality education for poor students.
He stated that nutritious breakfast and midday meal programmes, along with the establishment of Telangana public schools, formed part of the reforms.
Revanth Reddy suggested CPM leaders visit the Arutla Public School to review the changes.
The CPM delegation, led by State Secretary John Wesley, thanked the Chief Minister for introducing the Minimum Wages Amendment Act.
Former MLA Julakanti Rangareddy, P. Sudarshan, Jyothi, Nunna Nageswara Rao, Mallu Lakshmi, Samineni Swarajyam, M. Gopala Rao and Rajya Sabha member Vem Narender Reddy attended the meeting.