BRS to protest Centre’s move to recover NREGS funds used for drying platforms

KTR says Centre is discriminating against Telangana, while allowing fish drying platforms in other States

Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) will stage protests in all district headquarters in the State on Friday against the Centre’s move to recover Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds used for the construction of grain drying platforms in Telangana.

Working president of the BRS and Minister for Municipal Administration, IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao alleged on Thursday that the Centre was acting with vengeance against Telangana and its decision to recover ₹152 crore funds from the State by branding the construction of grain drying platforms as “diversion of NREGS funds” or “lapses in planning and taking up works” was anti-farmer.

In a statement, Mr. Rama Rao said instead of encouraging works that help food producers of the country, the Centre was spreading false information that construction of crop drying platforms was diversion of NREGS funds. He sought to know why construction of grain drying platforms was not permissible when the construction of fish drying platforms was being allowed in several other States.

He pointed out that it was the Telangana government that had been demanding linking of NREGS scheme with agriculture to reduce the burden of labour input costs on the farming community from the beginning, but the Centre was unmoved. The Centre’s move to recover the funds utilised for construction of grain drying platforms was not only anti-farmer, but regressive too.

Asking the farming community in the State to participate in the protests against the Centre’s move, Mr. Rama Rao said the Telangana government had been supporting and encouraging farmers with several interventions including grant of investment support of ₹5,000 per acre for two crop seasons every year, life insurance cover of ₹5 lakh to all landholding farmers in the event of their death irrespective of cause, round-the-clock free power to farm pumpsets and several others.

On the other hand, increase in the prices of fertilizers and diesel had jacked up investment, burdening the farmers and the situation calls for linking NREGS with agriculture to provide them with some relief, the BRS leader said.

Mr. Rama Rao accused the Centre of unveiling a new conspiracy against Telangana by demanding recovery of funds spent on the construction of grain drying platforms as the State government had refused to implement the Centre’s decision to fix meters for agricultural pumpsets. He stated that the State government had planned to construct a total of 79,000 drying platforms with a cost of ₹750 crore but the Centre wants the State to repay ₹152 crore spent on it so far.