Centre lobs paddy data ball into Telangana court

New Delhi: The Centre has asked the State Government to come with a proper and detailed data on how much paddy has been produced during kharif and the estimation for the rabi crop. Unless the State comes forward with exact data, it would be difficult for the Centre to take a decision on the issue of revising the agreement on paddy purchase.

This was made clear by the Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal to the delegation of Telangana ministers and MPs led by K T Rama Rao. During the meeting, KTR urged Goyal to come out with a policy on procurement so that the State Government could make alternative arrangements to ensure that the farmers shift to other crops during rabi. Goyal felicitated a meeting with Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar. During this meeting, it was decided that the Telangana delegation would meet Goyal again on Friday with the data sought by the Centre. Once that was given, the Union government would take a decision on whether or not to revise the agreement on paddy purchase during kharif and the quantum of paddy to be purchased during rabi. The Centre however made it clear that they cannot buy parboiled rice. Soon after this, the Telangana ministers met KCR and briefed him about the meetings they had with these two ministers. Meanwhile, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday hosted lunch to his party MPs to discuss the strategy to take on the Government during the Parliament session scheduled to begin from 28 and during the all-party meeting to be chaired by the Prime Minister on the eve of Parliament session. KCR instructed K Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao to prepare a detailed note on the procurement and explain the Centre's indifference towards addressing the demand of the State both in Lok Sabha and in Rajya Sabha.