Uttam Counters KTR’s Allegation Over Paddy Procurement
Uttam Kumar also said that allegations of ‘poor dispatch of trucks’ was misleading.
Hyderabad: Strongly countering BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao’s allegations that paddy procurement was inadequate, civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar claimed that the BRS leader’s frustration stemmed from the fact that the Congress government had achieved procurement levels and farmer payments far beyond what the BRS regime had managed during Rabi seasons. He described the statements made by Rama Rao as inaccurate and politically motivated.
Uttam Kumar Reddy described Rama Rao’s open letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy as “a bundle of lies, half-truths and desperate political propaganda”. The minister said that the government had procured 46.21 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs) of paddy out of the 54.29 LMT that arrived at procurement centres,, achieving nearly 85 per cent, involving more than 6.32 lakh farmer transactions. “The operations are being conducted on a scale significantly higher than previous Rabi seasons under the BRS regime,” the minister stated.
Uttam Kumar Reddy called entirely baseless, the allegation that no procurement took place for nearly two months. He clarified that procurement operations were continuing across the state through 8,575 centres. Daily procurement, transportation, milling and payment operations were continuing under constant monitoring.
He also said that allegations of ‘poor dispatch of trucks’ was misleading. He said: “43.29 LMTs of paddy have been shifted to rice mills and 0.71 LMTs have been shifted to godowns. On an average, more than 13,000 vehicles are being utilised daily for transportation operations and approximately 2.3 LMTs of paddy are being shifted every day to mills,” Uttam Kumar Reddy added.
