Kishan Accuses Congress of Gross Negligence in Paddy Procurement
Despite these funds, he alleged, the state had failed to improve rural infrastructure or manage procurement efficiently.
Hyderabad: Union minister G. Kishan Reddy strongly criticised the Telangana government, accusing it of gross negligence in paddy procurement.
Leading a delegation of Telangana BJP MPs and MLAs, he met Union minister Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi and sought enhanced paddy procurement and additional rice allocations for Telangana for the 2025-26 Rabi season.
Briefing the media in Delhi later, Kishan Reddy said the Centre had agreed to procure 36 lakh metric tonnes during the previous Kharif season, but the state had delivered only 13 to 14 per cent of the milled rice to the Food Corporation of India.
He said the Centre had sanctioned loans worth ₹37,000 crore to Telangana through the NCDC for 2024-26 and an additional ₹23,000 crore for 2026-27. Despite these funds, he alleged, the state had failed to improve rural infrastructure or manage procurement efficiently.
Kishan Reddy said both the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS were making hollow statements and falsely blaming the Centre to cover up their own failures.
The Union minister asserted that the Centre fully funds the purchase of every grain, including transport, storage and gunny bags, but alleged that the state lacked a basic action plan to execute the procurement process smoothly.
He challenged the Congress leadership to stage a protest in Delhi if it believed the Centre was at fault, saying he would expose the state's failures with factual data.