Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has asked the Central government to quickly release ₹1,468.94 crore. This amount is for rice supplied to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during the 2014-15 kharif season. He pointed out that Telangana had paid extra levy costs that year, but the Centre has not reimbursed the amount for over ten years.
Revanth Reddy met Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, in New Delhi on Tuesday. He was joined by Telangana Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. During the meeting, they also requested ₹343.27 crore for rice supplied under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana from May 2021 to March 2022. Additionally, they sought ₹79.09 crore for rice supplied under the National Food Security Act from June 2021 to April 2022.
Call for Reforms in Rice Procurement
Apart from financial dues, Telangana officials asked for an extension of the custom milling rice (CMR) deadline. Currently, the deadline is one month, and they want it extended to four months. The Chief Minister explained that the short deadline creates difficulties for millers and suppliers. Extending it would make the rice procurement process smoother.
Demand for Restoration of Solar Power Allocation
Revanth Reddy also raised concerns about Telangana’s solar power allocation. He urged Minister Pralhad Joshi, who handles renewable energy, to restore Telangana’s 4,000 MW solar power quota under the KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme. The Centre initially approved 4,000 MW but later reduced it to 1,000 MW, affecting the state’s renewable energy plans.
The Chief Minister highlighted Telangana’s efforts to promote solar power through women self-help groups. He requested that the original solar power allocation be reinstated. Minister Joshi reportedly responded positively and assured that the Centre would review the requests.
The Telangana government is hopeful that these long-pending financial dues and policy adjustments will be resolved soon. Clearing these issues will help ease the state’s financial burden and support its energy sector.
