metro india news  I hyderabad

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday 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 and even during the period of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at a review meeting of combined erstwhile Nalgonda district at the Suryapet District Collector’s office on paddy procurement, agriculture, Indiramma houses and Bhu Bharathi, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that during the last Kharif season, farmers cultivated 46.7 lakh acres and produced a record 103.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy.

"For the ongoing Yasangi season, cultivation extended to nearly 60 lakh acres, with an expected yield of 130 lakh metric tonnes. No government in the past has achieved such large-scale procurement,” he declared, adding that the Congress government was ensuring that every single grain from every last farmer was procured.

Turning to the public distribution system (PDS), Uttam Kumar Reddy 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 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,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

He further elaborated that every beneficiary under the Congress government now receives six kilograms of rice free of cost. “We purchase rice at Rs.40 per kilogram from the open market and distribute it free to beneficiaries,” he explained. The Minister noted that the government had already spent Rs.10,665 crore to provide quality rice to 2.81 crore people, close to three crore beneficiaries.

“This is a historic measure to ensure no one goes hungry in Telangana,” he said. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the previous BRS government had distributed substandard ‘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 noted.

The Minister condemned the significant leakages in the public distribution system under the previous administration, where 10–30 percent of rice was being diverted, depriving many deserving families. “We have plugged these leaks and ensured that six kilograms of rice reaches every ration beneficiary,” he asserted.