Uttam Kumar threatens to go on indefinite fast to ensure state purchases paddy

Hyderabad: Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, the former state Congress chief, said he would start an indefinite fast if the BJP at the Centre and the TRS government in the state neglect paddy procurement. Farmers are facing problems due to the slow pace of paddy procurement, he said.

He said that the government should procure every grain of paddy ane ensure that the farmers get the minimum support price of Rs 1960 per quintal immediately. He demanded that paddy purchase centres should be opened through Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) and primary agriculture cooperative societies.

Paddy farmers were worryied over the delay in procurement, Uttam Kumar Reddy told mediapersons after interacting with paddy farmers in Suryapet.
Earlier, Uttam Kumar Reddy participated in a meeting on the government’s podu lands policy at the collectorate in Suryapet. Minister G. Jagadish Reddy and elected representatives took part in the meeting.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that 8 lakh acres of forest land was handed over to tribals under Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act, 2006 during Congress rule in undivided Andhra Pradesh. All tribals, whose claims are backed by evidence under the RoFR Act, should be given their rights, he said.