Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ranks staged protests across the State on Friday to protest the Centre’s decision asking the Telangana Government to refund the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds (₹152 crore) used for construction of grain-drying platforms and demanded that the Centre allow the activity as it is beneficial to farmers.
At Medchal, district president of BRS Shambipur Raju, Warehousing Corporation Chairman Saichand and other district leaders of the party participated in the protest at Vivekananda statue and demanded that the Centre lift the bank on taking up grain-drying platforms under MGNREGS or else it would have to face the ire of the farming community.
“Last year, the Centre refused to purchase paddy procured in the Rabi season and this year they are against construction of grain-drying platforms with NREGS funds. Perhaps, BJP wants the farmers to dry their produce on the roads itself and cause accidents”, the BRS leaders said at the protest.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy and others extended wishes to the farming community on the occasion of National Farmers’ Day (Kisan Diwas) celebrated on December 23. The policies of Telangana Government had helped agriculture sector make huge progress and was driving other sectors of economy during the last eight years but the Centre was creating many hurdles, he alleged.