Telangana Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday emphasised the efficiency and transparency of the current Congress government’s grain purchasing process, stating that payments to farmers were made within three to four days, unlike during the previous BRS administration.
“We have purchased more paddy and deposited the money into the farmers’ accounts faster than the BRS did,” he said addressing a press conference countering the allegations made against the Congress government and accused the BJP and BRS of spreading false accusations.
The minister dismissed allegations of a ₹1,000 crore scam as wholly unfounded and accused opposition leaders of irresponsible and malicious behaviour.
He also highlighted that the previous BRS government left the Civil Supply Corporation in massive debt, with liabilities amounting to ₹59,000 crores and losses of ₹11,000 crores.
He pointed out that the government had taken revolutionary steps, including purchasing grain damaged by recent rains at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Helplines were also established, and a special drive was initiated to reduce wastage and increase profits for farmers.
He stated that BRS and BJP leaders did not verify the figures before levelling baseless allegations. He clarified that not a single grain of fine rice had been purchased and that the government would buy any amount of fine rice at Rs 42 per kg if it meets other conditions of the tender. He explained that not a single rupee was spent on fine rice and that the global tender referred to by BRS and BJP leaders had already been cancelled.
Furthermore, he said that only ₹200 crore worth of grain had been purchased so far.
Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that both BRS and BJP were collaborating to defame the Congress government, particularly targeting the Civil Supplies Department with baseless allegations of corruption.
He also noted that under the Congress government, the price of a quintal of grain increased from ₹1,700 to ₹2,400, resulting in an additional income for farmers. He assured that strict action would be taken against any officials found committing irregularities and reiterated the Congress government’s dedication to supporting farmers and ensuring the integrity of the Civil Supply Department.