`Baseless, unfounded’: Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Reddy blasts KTR over Rs 1100 Cr scam allegation

Hyderabad: Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the Bharatiya Janta Party and Bharat Rashtra Samithi of spreading canards.

On Sunday afternoon, BRS working president K T Rama Rao alleged that the civil supplies department has procured paddy and indulged in corruption of Rs 1100 crore.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, MLCs T Jeevan Reddy, Mahesh Kumar Goud, and other leaders, addressed a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday evening.

BRS and BJP targeting Congress

Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that both BRS and BJP were collaborating to defame the Congress government, particularly targeting the Civil Supplies Department with baseless allegations of corruption.

He emphasized the efficiency and transparency of the current Congress government's grain purchasing process.

Payment to farmers in four days

Uttam Kumar said that the payments after procurement of paddy were done to farmers in three to four days.

He said, “Unlike the previous BRS government the purchase of paddy has been more, and money deposited into farmers' accounts is faster.”

Debt of BRS is Rs 59,000 crore

Uttam Kumar said the debt of Civil Supply Corporation in the previous BRS government was very high. Liabilities amount to Rs 59,000 crores and losses are to the tune of Rs 11,000 crores.

Purchased damaged grains

The recent rains damaged some of the paddy of farmers. But the government didn’t refrain from purchasing them.

The paddy has been purchased at the Minimum Support Price. Helplines were established to help farmers. There was a special drive to reduce wastage and increase profits for farmers.

Dismissing allegations

The allegations of the Rs 1100 crore scam accused by BRS former minister KTR are unfounded. Accusing the Opposition of being irresponsible and indulging in malicious behavior, Uttam Kumar asked them to understand the issues and then speak.

Verify the numbers

The price quoted by Opposition of Rs 42 per kg is baseless, stated Uttam Kumar. He said, “The global tender that the Opposition is talking about has already been canceled.”

“When we have purchased grains worth only Rs 200 crores how can there be a scam of Rs 1100 crores?” he asked.

The Congres government in Telangana is purchasing grain from the earlier price of Rs 1700 to Rs 2,400 per quintal. This is additional income for farmers.

Strict action will be taken against civil supply officials and rice millers who are not following the guidelines or committing irregularities.