Telangana govt procures paddy though Centre not extending cooperation: CM

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said the state government is purchasing paddy from farmers though the Centre is not ''cooperating'' in the process.

During an interaction with CPI leaders who called on him here, he said the state government is procuring maize from farmers though the Centre is not purchasing.

The state government is procuring maize from farmers, though it makes losses in the process, an official release quoted Reddy as saying.

The state has witnessed a good yield of maize during the crop season, he said.

In a separate interaction with CPI(M) leaders who met him, the chief minister alleged that the Centre is not procuring even 30 per cent of the produce from farmers. The Centre should be questioned on this, he said.

Against the backdrop of opposition's attack on the Congress government over the alleged delay in procurement, the CM said there has been a shortage of workers for the procurement process as many of them belong to West Bengal who travelled to their home state for the recent assembly elections.

The procurement is not taken up at the agriculture market yards in the afternoons in view of severe heat, he said.

The state government is purchasing all the produce from farmers, and it is also paying a bonus for a fine variety of paddy, he said.

Observing that the Musi river rejuvenation project will generate large-scale employment and help improve the quality of life in Hyderabad, Reddy said the riverfront would also emerge as a major tourist destination.

The BJP and BRS are playing politics on the Musi development programme, he alleged.

Reddy also said the state government is ''cleansing'' education in the government sector and that it would be setting up 'Telangana Public Schools'.

The CPI and CPI(M) leaders thanked the CM for revising the minimum wages of workers recently.

Revanth Reddy on May 21 announced that the government would revise minimum wages and classify workers into four categories based on the recommendations of a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

The revised minimum wage will take effect on June 1, 2026.

The state has been divided into three zones: Zone 1 comprises municipal corporations, Zone 2 comprises municipalities, and Zone 3 rural areas.

According to Reddy, in zone 1, the minimum wage for unskilled workers has been increased from Rs 12,750 to Rs 16,000; for semi-skilled workers, from Rs 13,152 to Rs 17,000; for skilled workers, from Rs 13,772 to Rs 18,500; and for highly skilled workers, from Rs 14,607 to Rs 20,000.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)