Hyderabad: Fine Rice Scheme, Revanth Reddy, PDS, Welfare Initiative, Kaleshwaram Project, Telangana Government

Calling it an unprecedented move in the history of any state government, Revanth Reddy asserted that his administration, despite various challenges, would ensure scheme's success like any other welfare initiative.

Addressing an enthusiastic crowd at Huzurnagar, the Assembly constituency represented by Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Chief Minister emphasized that with improved economic conditions, even the poorest sections of society would now have access to high-quality rice.

“The coarse rice previously distributed through the PDS to three crore people often found its way back to ration shops. Since beneficiaries struggled to consume it, they sold it to millers at Rs 10 per kg, who in turn sold it back to the government. “To put an end to this cycle and curb millers' mafia and middlemen’s exploitation—causing an annual loss of Rs 10,000 crore to the government—we decided to distribute fine rice through the PDS. With the provision of six kilograms of fine rice, the poor can now celebrate a festival all year long,” he declared, drawing cheers and applause from the audience. Taking a dig at the portrayal of the Kaleshwaram project as the “eighth wonder of the world,” the Chief Minister remarked that the project, built at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore, had become a global anomaly by collapsing within just three years of its construction.

He stated that the people of Telangana would have no regrets if those responsible for this debacle were held accountable to the highest degree.

Blaming the BRS regime for the delay in the SLBC project, Revanth Reddy asserted that had the previous government prioritized its completion, the project would have been finished within its 10-year tenure—even at a pace of just one kilometer per year. Taking a swipe at former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, whom he mockingly referred to as a man with knowledge of “80,000 books,” Revanth Reddy criticized his stance on discouraging farmers from cultivating fine rice varieties. “I am now officially alleging that while poor farmers struggled, your farm’s rice variety was procured at an exorbitant price. Was your rice cultivated on fields of gold?” he questioned. Highlighting the significance of the composite Nalgonda district as Telangana’s leading paddy-producing region, Revanth Reddy expressed confidence that the state would achieve record-breaking production in the upcoming Yasangi season.