KCR demands national policy for procurement of food grains across India

By Trend

Telangana chief minister (CM) K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has demanded a national policy for the procurement of food grains in the country.

The Telangana CM has written a letter to PM Narendra Modi "strongly'' recommending a meeting with agricultural experts and CMs to discuss and debate over formulating a suitable National Procurement Policy.

He also requested the PM to direct the Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution to procure the entire paddy from Telangana.

"I am constrained to remind you that there is no uniform national-level food grains procurement policy,'' his letter read.

He said that while the Union government procures an entire marketable surplus of paddy and wheat in states like Punjab and Haryana, it is not being done in Telangana.

''There should not be different policies of the Union government for different states within the country," he said.

The Telangana CM said that "inconsistent and uncertain policies of the Indian government

are causing a high degree of frustration and dissatisfaction among the farmers."

He also reminded how the country "witnessed the fury of farmers in the last two years'' when the Union government enacted anti-farmer laws.

He also said that the overall implementation of the National Food Security Act, enacted by the parliament in 2013, is the responsibility of the government. "The onus is on the government to procure and supply food grains throughout the country," said KCR.