The Hindu : New Delhi News : YSR seeks Rs.1,000 MSP for paddy

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Thursday, Jun 19, 2008
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YSR seeks Rs.1,000 MSP for paddy

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today

Crucial meet: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy holding talks with Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy urged Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to Rs.1,000 per tonne from the existing Rs.850.

Mr. Pawar in turn agreed to consider the demand after the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council gives its recommendation, Mr. Reddy told newspersons here on Wednesday. Dr. Reddy informed Pawar that rice production would drastically improve once the farmers get the right price for their product.

Dr. Reddy said that Mr. Pawar had told him that six or seven States including Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan had urged the Centre to keep MSP for paddy at the range of Rs.650 to Rs.850 per tonne.

Dr. Reddy said that he also urged Mr. Pawar to restore the supply of 3.18 lakh tonnes of rice for above poverty line (APL) people in the State like last year without any cut in the quantity.

The Chief Minister also met Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and urged him to increase the Central grant to the State under the accelerated irrigation benefit programme to Rs.2,000 crore this year from Rs.1,250 crore last year as approved by the Planning Commission. The latter promised to consider the issue, he said.

Mr. Reddy also met Law Minister H.K. Bharadwaj and urged him to provide assistance to build Rs.100 crore annexe building for the Andhra Pradesh High Court in the place where the government maternity hospital existed in Hyderabad.

Aviation varsity

On Thursday Dr. Reddy is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wherein, among other things, he would request him to set up a world class aviation university at Begumpet airport.

He said the Congress government is ready to name the university after former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao.

Alliance

Asked whether the party is ready to go alone in the election, he shot back: “All along, except last time , the party had contested the elections alone. We are ready for anything.”

Cabinet expansion

On the Cabinet expansion, he said it would be considered in August.

He warned that strict action would be taken against unauthorised liquor shops and said that the government had not brought anything new in the liquor policy other than what was there during the TDP regime.

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