Hyderabad, April 17 (NationPress) Telangana's Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, on Friday engaged with Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, advocating for the procurement of 30 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice from Telangana during the Rabi season. He also urged the minister to settle the pending dues of ₹1,468.94 crore, linked to the procurement of additional levy from the 2014-15 Kharif season.

Accompanied by State Civil Supplies Minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Chief Minister visited the central minister in New Delhi, where they submitted a formal memorandum.

During the meeting, they highlighted that the paddy harvested in the Rabi season is ideally suited for milling into boiled rice. Union Minister Joshi received detailed insights regarding the supply of Custom Milling Rice (CMR), supported by statistical data from the past six Rabi seasons.

Chief Minister Reddy reminded Joshi that officials from the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution had recommended an increase in boiled rice supply due to rising demand nationwide.

It was communicated that Telangana anticipates producing 90 lakh tonnes of paddy in the ongoing Rabi season, with the harvested crop being suitable for conversion into parboiled rice.

CM Reddy stated that Telangana is prepared to supply a total of 30 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice (with 5 percent broken rice content) and 5 lakh tonnes of raw rice (with 10 percent broken rice content) from the Yasangi harvest.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, Joshi has given preliminary approval for the proposed supply of boiled rice.

Additionally, the Union Minister was urged to expedite the disbursement of the outstanding dues of ₹1,468.94 crore regarding the procurement of additional levy from the 2014-15 Kharif season.

The Chief Minister and the state minister informed the Union Minister that Telangana ranks as the largest paddy-producing state, where payments are deposited into farmers’ accounts within 48 hours of paddy procurement.

Due to financial challenges faced by the state Civil Supplies Department, CM Reddy requested the Union Minister to hasten the release of the pending dues from the Centre.

Joshi was also asked to promptly resume the distribution of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), which is vital for combating anemia and nutritional deficiencies among children, distributed through schools, hostels, and ICDS centres. The CM noted that this crucial scheme had been halted recently.

Present at the meeting were State Government Special Representative in Delhi, A.P. Jithender Reddy, Secretary (Coordination) Advait Singh, and officials from the Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution.