Latest news with #TummalaNageswaraRao
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Hyderabad govt rolls out Rythu Bharosa scheme; non-arable land excluded from benefits and Rs 2,349 crore disbursed
HYDERABAD: The Congress govt has clarified that the removal of nearly 2.95 lakh acres from the Rythu Bharosa scheme was due to ineligibility, and not any imposed acreage cap. The state govt launched the ambitious farmer support scheme on Monday without restricting landholding size. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Instead, the only criterion was that the land had to be arable. Non-arable parcels - such as roads, rocky terrain, real estate plots, or land left uncultivated for over four years - were excluded. This rationalisation helped the govt save approximately 170 crore. Senior officials said that even if land isn't currently under cultivation, as long as it is suitable for agriculture, it qualifies for benefits. Moreover, land that can be developed into arable plots will be considered for support in that season itself, making the exempted acreage dynamic across seasons. Earlier speculation suggested the govt might cap benefits to landholdings of up to 10 acres. However, this did not materialise. "We prioritised the core principle - supporting those with land suitable for agriculture," said officials. Farmers who recently received pattas (land titles) have been given until June 20 to apply. On the second day of disbursement, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao announced that 1,551 crore had already been transferred to 10.45 lakh small farmers with up to three acres. He assured that all eligible farmers - regardless of land size - would receive their share shortly, and no one would be left out. Funds are being directly credited into bank accounts, avoiding any transaction issues. Chief minister A Revanth Reddy kicked off the scheme on Monday by crediting 6,000 per acre into the accounts of farmers owning up to two acres. So far, 2,349.83 crore has been distributed for 39.16 lakh acres, covering 41.25 lakh farmers. The total outlay for the nine-day rollout stands at 9,000 crore.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
KCR to depose today before panel probing Kaleshwaram row
Hyderabad As the inquiry into the 'collapsed' Medigadda barrage deepens with claims and contradictions by both the ruling Congress and BRS, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will depose before the P.C. Ghose Commission on Wednesday. Amidst the confusion over the project's idea, shifting of location and discrepancies in permission dates and actual grounding of project, the spotlight is on KCR as he is the 'man behind the Kaleshwaram project'. The Congress government claims that contradicting statements made by former ministers Eatala Rajender, Tummala Nageswara Rao and T. Harish Rao on how the Medigadda barrage was conceived, approved, and executed, throw light on the deeper issues. Hornet's nest Finance Minister under BRS government and now BJP MP Mr. Rajender's claim that construction of the Medigadda barrage was taken up as per the decision of a Cabinet Sub-Committee has stirred up a hornet's nest. He apparently also claimed that the KLIP was approved by the Cabinet. But these claims were rebutted by current Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was part of the same sub-committee. He categorically denied that the panel had any role in approving the Medigadda barrage, and said that the GO granting administrative sanction for its construction was issued before the panel was even formed. Records reveal that on March 1, 2016, the GO was issued for the construction of Medigadda, and the Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted two weeks later, on March 15, 2016, to study the re-engineering of irrigation projects. Mr. Nageswara Rao released these documents to support his claim that sanction was given much before the sub-committee was formed. Meanwhile, former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, who also deposed before the Commission, claimed that the Medigadda barrage was built on the recommendations of the Central Water Design (CWD) body and consultancy firm WAPCOS. However, Government sources reveal that on April 2, 2015, the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department wrote to the Principal Secretary requesting the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Medigadda. Subsequently, on April 13, 2015, the government issued a GO officially assigning WAPCOS the task of preparing the DPR for Medigadda. Pointing this out, the government now claims that the project appears to have been pre-decided at the highest level rather than driven by a consultancy recommendation. Now, KCR's deposition will be critical in determining the mismatch in the conflicting claims of Mr. Rajender, Mr. Nageswar Rao and Mr. Harish Rao. Some of the questions likely to be posed to him are: Why was the project site shifted from Tummidihatti to Medigadda?, Was there any Cabinet approval for the project?, Were there design or execution flaws flagged during construction?, Why were bills cleared before the performance tests, and what steps were taken after NDSA and Vigilance raised quality and structural concerns?
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tummala terms Eatala Rajender's remarks on Kaleshwaram as ‘motivated and misleading'
Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao strongly refuted the comments of BJP MP and his former colleague in the BRS government, Eatala Rajender, before the PC Ghose Commission on the Kaleshwaram project that alleged his role in the clearance of the project. 'Eatala's comments on me are completely false, and one wonders whether they were made under external pressure,' the Minister remarked at a press conference here on Saturday while questioning the motives behind them. Mr. Tummala clarified that the sub-committee he had referenced was not related to the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project but to look into other pending projects under the broader umbrella of irrigation, such as Devadula, Kantanapalli, and Dummugudem. 'It was never constituted specifically for Kaleshwaram project,' he explained. The Minister also revealed that the Kaleshwaram project never received formal Cabinet approval. The KCR Cabinet did not deliberate or come forward with a decision on the project. The works were executed merely based on an executive order, he argued. The Minister announced that he would submit the sub-committee report related to irrigation projects to the Kaleshwaram Commission suo motu, and would fully cooperate with the panel. 'At the appropriate time, I will tell the Commission what really happened with the Kaleshwaram project,' he said. He further said, 'My suggestions at that time were always in the interest of the people and farmers.' He said he is ready for a transparent discussion with anyone, but misleading the people with false statements is not acceptable.
Hans India
03-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
PJTSAU's seed distribution prog begins
Hyderabad: On the occasion of the 12th State Formation Day, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) has launched the 'Quality Seeds to Every Village' programme across the state. The programme was launched on Monday in the presence of Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who distributed quality seed kits to 10 selected farmers in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district during the State Formation Day celebrations. Similarly, in Ranga Reddy district, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Aldas Janaiah, along with Chief Minister's Advisor Vem Narender Reddy, MLA Malreddy Rangareddy, and District Collector Narayana Reddy distributed quality seed kits to 10 progressive farmers during the State Formation Day celebrations. In various districts across the state, ministers, public representatives, Government whips, corporation chairmen and district collectors participated as chief guests in the State Formation Day celebrations and distributed seed kits to around 300 progressive farmers. The university planned to distribute quality seeds to about 40,000 progressive farmers in approximately 11,000 villages, through the 'Quality Seeds to Every Village' programme. On the occasion of State Formation Day, around 300 farmers received seeds in various districts. The remaining selected farmers will receive seed kits on June 3 through local Rythu Vedika platforms in the presence of public representatives, agricultural extension officers, agricultural officers, and university officials.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Cut in import duty to discourage ryots from taking up oil palm plantation: Tummala
HYDERABAD The Centre's move to reduce import duty on palm oil (all edible oils) from 27.5% to 16.5% would discourage farmers from taking up oil palm cultivation, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said on Saturday. He requested the Centre to review its decision in the interests of farmers and for promotion of edible oil plantation crop to protect local farmers' interests. On Friday, the Centre reduced customs duty on the crude palm, sunflower and soya oils to bring down the import duty. Mr. Rao stated that the oil palm farmers had been demanding for a long time to increase the import duty from 27.5% to 40% to make their cultivation of the edible oil crop remunerative. However, the Centre had reduced the duty in the name of bringing down the food prices. The move would bring down the prices of oil palm bunches, presently at ₹21,000 per tonne affecting the returns drastically. The cut in import duty would make farmers who were planning to take to oilpalm cultivation have second thoughts, would affect the extent of the plantation crop and would become a hurdle in the plans to achieve self reliance in the matter of edible oils. He addressed a letter to the Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and Minister of Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan to review the Centre's decision. On the green manure seed supply, the minister said over 56,262 quintals of seed was purchased by nearly 1.18 lakh farmers so far against the 89,302 quintals positioned in Agros Rythu Seva Kendras and PACSs. Against the indent placed for 'jeeluga' seed (sesbania), the National Seed Corporation had supplied 750 kits (5 kg each) of 5 varieties of green manure used in other States. It was ready to supply another 5,000 kits containing one-kg each of jeeluga, jute, cluster beans and maize and half-kg each of jowar and cowpea seed used in other States as green manure to improve the soil fertility. The cost of each kit is ₹635.
