Nalgonda MP opposes proposed privatisation of Singareni coal blocks in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy has opposed the Centre's decision to auction the three coal blocks of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited in Telangana to private parties.
He said neither the TRS nor BJP MPs raised the issue of four coal blocks in Singareni Collieries limits proposed to be put up for auction. This reflects that both the TRS and BJP have a tacit understanding, he alleged.
Uttam who as former PCC president also demanded the state government to allot Rs 5,000 crore as bonus for procurement of paddy in the ensuing Yasangi (Rabi) season.Terming chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and prime Minister Narendra Modi as anti-farmer, he called upon the farmers to cultivate paddy in Yasangi season and sought to assure that the Congress would see to it that the Central and state governments procured paddy from them. “The Congress will stand by the farmers and fight on their behalf in the assembly and Parliament,” he said.
He said CM KCR should explain what is the use of Rs 2 lakh crore annual budget of the state if it did not address the issues of the farmers. The TRS government has become so incompetent that it is unable to take action on the rice millers who have defaulted in giving back one lakh tons of rice, he alleged.
He demanded the state government to give a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal of paddy on MSP as is being done in Chhattisgarh, in the Yasangi season as the broken rice problem would be there.
“Why did the TRS government agree to procure 40 lakh tonnes of rice by the centre in the Kharif season. States smaller than Telangana were able to secure more procurement by the centre. While the centre has given a target of procuring 60 lakh tonnes of paddy in Telangana, till date the state government has procured only 54 lakh tonnes,” he alleged.
Stating that in the previous Yasangi season paddy has been sown in 53 lakh acres, he said this year sowing is not taking place in Yasangi as farmers are worried due to the double standards being adopted by the state government.