Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded the state govt to take up the paddy procurement issue in the state cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on May 23 and announce corrective measures. He urged the govt to procure all grains at procurement centres without further delay and ensure that farmers receive payments immediately. He also demanded that the Congress govt announce an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh each to the families of farmers who reportedly lost their lives near procurement centres due to alleged government negligence.In a letter to chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday, KTR alleged that the Congress govt has pushed Telangana farmers into unprecedented distress through administrative negligence, failed procurement management, and anti-farmer policies.He said farmers across Telangana have been waiting helplessly at procurement centres for nearly two months. “The farmers are holding protests, dharnas, and road blockades daily across the state demanding for justice. There is not a single farmer in Telangana who has not taken to the streets. There is not a single highway where protests and road blockades have not aken place,” KTR said in the letter.He expressed anguish that several farmers have reportedly collapsed and died near procurement centres due to heatstroke, stress, and prolonged waiting. He criticised the CM for allegedly failing to visit even a single procurement centre despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
