State Achieves Record Paddy Procurement: Minister

Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy today announced that the State had achieved record paddy procurement under the Congress government, marking the highest scale of procurement in Telangana's 11-year history, surpassing even the levels reached during the period of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at a review meeting for the combined erstwhile Nalgonda district at the Suryapet District Collector's office on paddy procurement, agriculture, Indiramma houses and Bhu Bharathi, Reddy said that during the last Kharif season, farmers cultivated 46.7 lakh acres and produced a record 103.5 lakh metric tons of paddy, and that the Congress government was ensuring that every single grain from every last farmer was procured.

"For the ongoing Yasangi season, cultivation has extended to nearly 60 lakh acres, with an expected yield of 130 lakh metric tons. No government in the past has procured that kind of volume," he said.

Turning to the Public Distribution System (PDS), the minister said that the government was determined to strengthen food security by providing ration cards to every eligible family in Telangana, whether below or above the poverty line.

He criticised the previous BRS government for halting the process of issuing ration cards for nearly a decade, leaving many deserving families without access to subsidised food grains. "We are committed to rectifying this injustice and ensuring that no family is left behind," he said.

He also said that every beneficiary under the Congress government received six kilograms of rice free of cost. "We purchase rice at Rs 40 per kilogram from the open market and distribute it free to the beneficiaries," he said, and claimed that the government had already spent Rs 10,665 crore to provide quality rice to 2.81 crore people.

"This is a historic measure to ensure no one goes hungry in Telangana," he said.

Criticising the previous BRS government, he said that the BRS government had distributed sub-standard doddu biyyam (coarse rice), which forced people to compromise on quality. "After we came to power, we distributed fine rice, bringing relief to families across the state," he claimed.

He also condemned the "significant leakages" in the Public Distribution System under the previous administration, saying 10-30% of rice was being diverted, depriving many deserving families. "We have plugged these leaks and ensured that six kilograms of rice reaches every ration card beneficiary," he said.