Vijayawada: Civil Supplies Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao said on Thursday that the YSRC government has successfully eliminated the middlemen and rice millers in relation to paddy procurement from farmers.
Addressing the media here, the minister said chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had introduced revolutionary changes in the procurement system and, as a result, the money was being deposited directly into the accounts of farmers, for the last 21 days.
He said the farmers were getting an additional ₹8,000 per acre. As a result, the farmers supporting the opposition parties have begun praising the chief minister.
“We have completed 90 per cent of the procurement, which came to 26 lakh metric tonnes. The government owes ₹900 crore to the millers and the entire dues will be cleared by the end of this financial year,’’ he said.
The minister said all the 9,260 MDU vehicles supplying ration at the doorsteps of the people were working well. No vehicle has reported a breakdown so far.
He said as a pilot project, maize and ragi would be supplied to the beneficiaries in Rayalaseema. Soon the supply would be extended all over the state. A survey was conducted through the volunteers and many evinced interest in these two items, he stated.
The minister said there were some issues with the rice millers. Four mills were seized after detection of irregularities. The government came to know that some middlemen were behind the dharnas staged by the farmers. Action would be taken against them based on reports from the police intelligence wing.
