Hyderabad:
The State government has been working hard to improve the Public Distribution System (PDS). This effort has helped farmers receive their payments promptly. The government is also cooperating closely with the Food Corporation of India (FCI). For this financial year, the government has allocated Rs 3,836 crore for the Civil Supplies Department. This is an increase of more than Rs 700 crore compared to the previous year, which had Rs 3,117 crore.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka presented the budget. He said that due to the department’s continuous and effective supervision, deliveries to FCI have sped up. In just six months, they delivered 36 LMT of paddy. They also resolved long-standing issues with the Central Government and FCI. As a result, they received Rs 3,561.64 crore from these entities and reduced their loans by Rs 1,323.86 crore. These measures have already shown positive results in the civil supplies department’s operations.
The Deputy CM criticized the previous government for delaying payments to farmers for paddy purchases. The current government has reduced the payment time to 48 hours and has been paying farmers promptly. Bhatti believes this will greatly benefit farmers and reduce corruption and manipulation. So far, the government has paid Rs 10,556 crore to farmers.
He also mentioned that from 2010-11 to 2022-23, nearly a thousand millers owed the government around Rs 3,000 crore. These millers avoided supplying rice to the government and used it for their own businesses. The previous government ignored these fraudulent practices. However, after coming to power, the current government took strict action against these millers. In the last six months, the vigilance department has raided many millers and recovered their dues. They have already collected Rs 450 crore and have taken action under the Revenue Recovery Act against 60 millers to collect Rs 509 crore in arrears.
