Telangana Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Friday urged Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and MoS for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar to ensure the immediate release of urea stocks to the state. The minister said both leaders responded positively to his request.
Earlier in the day, Rao chaired a review meeting with district collectors. He instructed them to replace the existing queue system with a token-based method to streamline urea distribution. He also directed officials to move available stocks to high-demand districts and explore linking land passbooks with fertiliser allocation.
Calling fertilisers a Union subject, Rao alleged that opposition parties were misleading farmers by spreading “manufactured visuals” of long queues on social media to target the state government.
SHGs Step In to Bridge Shortage
In Rajanna-Sircilla district, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the Indiramma Mahila Shakti scheme have sold 850 metric tonnes of urea, earning a profit margin of ₹27 per bag. Currently, 19 SHGs are operating fertiliser outlets, and authorities have also sanctioned a petrol pump at Lingannapet in Gambhiraopet. Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha noted that SHGs are ensuring fair and steady supply, and plans are underway to launch 57 additional shops in agricultural clusters.