Telangana BJP slams TRS govt for not procuring paddy yields, leaders protest from homes

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 23 : Telangana's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit on Sunday staged a protest against the state government, alleging that it has stopped the procurement of farmers' paddy yields.
The BJP leaders participated in the protest from their homes as lockdown restrictions are in place in the state.
"Today the state BJP unit held a 3-hour-long protest under the name 'Telangana Rytu Gosa - BJP Deeksha'. I took part in the protest from my residence. Telangana farmers are facing many problems. While the COVID-19 pandemic is creating problems, the state government did not make any prior arrangements for procuring the yields of farmers," Dr Pongulati Sudhakar Reddy, BJP leader, said.
Reddy also said that the government had bought scant quantities of produce in recent past citing different reasons and now the procurement has been totally stopped.
"With the paddy crop totally damaged and farmers' agony going unheard, the BJP took up this 'Deeksha' to mount pressure on the government. It must procure the paddy from farmers through Markfed or Self-Help Groups (SHGs)," Reddy added.
The BJP leader also said that the Centre has already released funds under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN) and PM Kisan Faisal Yojana (PMKFY).
"Now, the state government should start releasing the funds on priority and procure the produce. The Centre has increased the subsidy on DAP fertilisers. The state government should act responsibly, it should appoint one special officer each for every district and address all issues of the farmers," Reddy said.