Telangana accelerates paddy procurement drive; Women's Welfare Week initiatives underway

Hyderabad — In a bid to strengthen agricultural support systems, Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy convened a video conference on Sunday with senior government officials to review the state's ongoing paddy procurement operations.

The meeting brought together Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, Civil Supplies Commissioner Stephen Ravindra, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and various collectors and departmental heads to assess progress and address bottlenecks in the procurement process.

Reddy outlined the scale of this year's agricultural output, noting that paddy cultivation has reached 141 lakh metric tonnes across Telangana. The government has set an ambitious procurement target of 75 lakh metric tonnes at Minimum Support Price, with 8,575 collection centres established statewide to facilitate farmer participation.

As of the review date, procurement efforts had yielded 51 lakh metric tonnes, with the government having disbursed Rs 8,749 crore in MSP payments to farmers. The minister emphasized the urgency of completing the remaining operations, directing officials to immediately acquire the outstanding 8.5 lakh metric tonnes currently held at collection centres. He further noted that 21 crore gunny bags had been positioned at field locations to support logistics.

To safeguard the procurement process, Reddy instructed officials to establish checkpoints in border districts to curtail unauthorised entry of paddy, maize, and jowar from adjacent states. He also cautioned rice millers and intermediaries against employing deceptive practices involving moisture adjustments and quality reductions that disadvantage farmers.

Reddy called for accelerated data entry through digital tablets at procurement sites to expedite payment processing. He reiterated that farmer welfare constitutes the government's central objective and directed officials to counter misinformation regarding procurement activities.

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka highlighted the importance of augmenting the workforce at procurement centres, advocating for increased hamali personnel to expedite cargo movement. He contrasted historical delays—when farmers previously endured months-long payment waits—with the government's current commitment to rapid transaction completion.

Bhatti Vikramarka additionally underscored the necessity of educating farmers on agricultural residue management to mitigate air quality degradation in metropolitan regions.

In a parallel development, officials convened to review arrangements for Women's Welfare Week, scheduled from May 25 through May 30 as part of the Praja Palana Pragathi Pranalika initiative. Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, Women and Child Welfare Secretary Anita Ramachandran, and Dana Kishore participated in the session.

The agenda encompassed foundation stone ceremonies for Indira Mahila Shakti facilities and Anganwadi centres, alongside awareness campaigns addressing women's safety and workplace sexual harassment protocols. Officials also examined solar energy initiatives, mandal federation engagements, Ullas programmes, and Amma Mata-Anganwadi Bata activities scheduled for the week-long observance.