Harish Rao nails Congress Govt’s paddy procurement lies, calls truck driver from press conference

HYDERABAD: Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao called a truck driver to find out whether the paddy that he transported was purchased or not at the designated procurement centre.

Addressing a press conference at the Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday on the Government's decision to limit the Rs 500 bonus to a fine variety of paddy, Harish also wanted to show the media how farmers were spending money to transport the paddy to the procurement centres where they wait and wait fearing unseasonal rains and thunderstorms.

Harish Rao called a driver named Prabhakar Reddy to showcase the ground reality of grain procurement. The driver who carried the load from Medak Mutaiyakota to Bejjanki informed him that the produce that got wet had not been purchased for three days. The driver also said that the farmers were paying lorry drivers from their pockets as the load was not being unloaded.

Demanding a review of the State Cabinet decision to limit bonuses to a particular variety of paddy, Harish Rao said that the Government must release Rs 500 per quintal of all varieties of paddy. He said that the Government should also procure all the drenched paddy immediately to save the farmers.