No Rs 500 bonus now, purchased more Yasangi paddy than BRS Govt, claims Uttam Kumar Reddy

HYDERABAD: Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the State Government could not implement the Rs 500 bonus guarantee to the farmers that it has given, due to the ongoing Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Addressing the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday said that the Government would be opening a total of 7,149 procurement centres to purchase ‘Yasangi’ (Rabi) paddy compared to the 7,031 centres opened by the erstwhile BRS Government.

“The BRS Government opened its first procurement centre on April 9, 2023, whereas we opened the first procurement centre on March 25, 2024, by seeking a special grant from the Central Government,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said. He added that as of April 14, 2024, the Congress Government opened 6919 centres whereas, on the same date last year, the BRS Government could open only 335 centres.

He said that 2.7 LMTS (Lakh Metric Tonnes) was procured so far compared to the 2.33 LMTS procured by the BRS Government last year during the same period. “We will procure each grain available with the farmers. For instance, last year not even a single procurement centre was opened in Siddipet district, but now we have opened 418 centres,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

Countering allegations he said that any Government would purchase the paddy from farmers at a higher price and sell it even at a lower price to benefit the farmers. “The BRS Government spent Rs 7,661 crore on paddy procurement and sold it at a loss of Rs 2,500 crore,” he said.