A delegation of Telangana Ministers and Members of Parliament will leave for Delhi on the issue of rabi paddy procurement and will meet Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution with a request to procure entire paddy produced in the State this season as is done in Punjab and Haryana.
This was announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is also the president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), after a four-hour long meeting of the Legislature Party and extended executive of the party here on Monday.
“The delegation will meet the Union Minister with simple request of procurement of entire rabi paddy produced in Telangana as is done in Punjab and Haryana. If agreed, it’s fine, or else we will agitate for it democratically,” he stated.
Stating that it is the responsibility of the Centre to procure foodgrain in the country, the Chief Minister wanted a uniform foodgrain procurement policy for the country as it can not be different for different States. Some States like Telangana are being discriminated on the issue, he alleged. A resolution was adopted at the meeting to demand the Centre to procure paddy in Telangana.
“Similar resolution will be adopted in gram panchayats, mandal parishads, zilla parishads, agriculture market committees and urban local bodies as an expression of solidarity with the farming community. It’s a life and death situation for paddy farmers in Telangana now as it is cultivated on over 35 lakh acres this season, which is about 20 lakh acres lesser compared to the last rabi season”, Mr. Rao said.
He stated that the procurement of paddy produced on about 30 lakh acres (about 75 lakh tonnes of paddy) is needed as the produce of about 3 lakh acres would be for seed needs and of another 2-3 lakh acres for local consumption by farmers themselves.
The Chief Minister said minimum support price for paddy or other foodgrain is fixed by the Centre and not for rice (processed/milled paddy) and the procurement was done with MSP. It is the responsibility of the Centre to procure paddy in Telangana too at MSP as it does in two seasons every year in Punjab and Haryana, and get it milled in whatever way it likes. “Getting it milled is not the headache of States and they only cooperate with the Centre in the procurement process,” he made it clear.
He also announced that TRS would work for constitutional safety to farmers’ rights in the country along with a national procurement policy so that they are not made to undergo distress every season.
Party MLAs, MLCs, floor leaders of the party in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha K. Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao, respectively, State executive committee members, district presidents of the party and Rythu Bandhu Samithis, chairpersons of Zilla Parishads, DCCBs and DCMSs attended the meeting.
