Andhra begins direct procurement of Black Burley tobacco, assures every leaf will be bought
Leading a farmers' rally from Paruchuru junction to the market yard, the minister inspected facilities and announced that HDR and HDM grade tobacco would be procured at Rs 12,000 per quintal, while HDX grade would be bought at Rs 6,000 per quintal.
This marks the first-ever direct procurement of Black Burley tobacco by the State.
Atchannaidu said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is prioritizing farmer support with subsidies, timely payments, and assured crop procurement.
He noted that Rs 1,650 crore in pending paddy dues had already been cleared. The state has intervened this year to stabilize prices of chilli, mango, coconut, and tobacco.
Farmers were urged not to fall for private companies' misleading promises and to maintain quality standards to meet export requirements.
The initiative is expected to benefit farmers with over Rs 500 crore through five procurement centres across the state.
Agriculture Special Chief Secretary B. Rajasekhar said the government aims to procure 20 million kg of tobacco, with the Chief Minister reviewing progress every two days.
Markfed MD Manjeer Zilani Saman stated that procurement would be conducted online, with a 20% moisture cap.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Arms dealer 'linked to Vadra' now a fugitive
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday declared arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari a fugitive economic offender, observing that failed extradition attempts does not make him an "angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws". The order, which was reserved by the court of Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal on May 24, was pronounced on Saturday. "Extradition attempt may have failed, but it will not make accused angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws. FEO proceedings are another way of making one come back to India to face trial by coercing him to return by attachment, confiscation of properties of such fugitive economic offender and proceeds of crime, and by disentitling the such fugitive economic offender from putting forward or defending any civil claim," the judge said in his 100-page judgment. "...this court is satisfied that Sanjay Bhandari is a fugitive economic offender under section 12(1) of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and is declared as such under the above provision(s)" of the Act, he said. ED and I-T department had in the extradition proceedings claimed that Bhandari had undisclosed foreign income worth Rs 655 crore on which he evaded tax worth Rs 196 crore. The middleman in defence deals, allegedly a key factor in deals like that of trainer aircraft Pilatus, deposited huge amounts of money in bank accounts of overseas shell companies and also invested in properties in the UAE and the UK between 2009 and 2016. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The case against Bhandari has an important political dimension - his alleged links with Robert Vadra , spouse of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Robert is also being probed for his links with Bhandari, who fled to London when multiple agencies started investigating him in 2016. The judgment came on the ED's application filed under the Act in 2019. The court said the "fugitive" tag is to an individual who has committed schedule offence or offences involving an amount of Rs 100 crore or more and who has absconded or refused to return to avoid criminal prosecution. This will allow ED to confiscate his properties anywhere in the world and bar Bhandari, who is wanted by Indian agencies in multiple cases, from filing or defending any civil proceedings in India. The judge dismissed Bhandari's counsel's argument that the UK high court's order disallowing ED's plea for his extradition makes him eligible to stay in London, and therefore, FEO won't apply to him. "The said argument is without any substance as the extradition failure will not make any difference as the extradition of the accused was one of the means to bring the accused to India to face trial in the said offence under Section 51 of the Black Money Act," the judge said. The court stressed Bhandari wilfully refused to return to face criminal prosecution, and said, "...this court is satisfied that the total value of the schedule offence is Rs 100 crore or more i.e. the schedule to the present FEO Act which is Section 51 of Black Money Act." The court also rejected Bhandari's contention that declaring him a fugitive economic offender entails very serious consequences, effectively amounting to economic death penalty. "Bhandari always has an option to return... when he chooses not to return to India, he cannot take the plea of avoiding all the legal consequences... In any case those who play with fire should be aware of its consequences," the court said.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Woman tailor helps others learn trade, earn livelihood
1 2 3 Bhubaneswar: Sujasmita Tewari, a 45-year-old woman from Balipatna, on the outskirts of the city, has been providing free tailor training to women since 2004, helping many of them earn their livelihood. So far, she has trained more than 2,000 girls and women. After Class XII, Tewari took admission in an ITI to study tailoring. She started earning money from stitching and related works and introduced the tailoring training programme. "My father was working in Daitari mines (in Jajpur district), and we stayed there. I learnt tailoring from my mother. After I completed my ITI course in tailoring, I started stitching work in 1999. I gradually trained some girls by charging a monthly fee of Rs 30 before I got married in 2001," said Tewari. She said many girls didn't have the means to pay the fee. "Later, I stopped asking for it. After marriage, I moved from Daitari to Balipatna. I took some time to get settled before starting tailoring work and training. I wished to pass on my skills to young girls and women sitting idle at home. I started full-fledged training in 2004," she added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Apart from stitching, she has opened a mini chitralaya to provide different costumes on rent. "I love designing costumes for mythical characters and kids taking part in fancy dress competitions. Out of curiosity and passion, I opened the chitralaya," she added. Her husband, Rabi Narayan Mishra, a priest, has supported her throughout her journey. Tewari's daughter, Rupali Mishra, is an actress, and her son, Siddharth, is in college. Tewari has received awards from different organisations. "Helping a woman earn her livelihood through tailoring helps empower them. She will not depend on anybody for pocket money. She can also provide financial support to her husband in times of need. It will make her confident and self-reliant," said Tewari, adding, "Many women have opened their own shops for stitching. It gives me immense pleasure to see their confidence." Besides training work, she sometimes plants saplings. She also distributes clothes to poor and homeless people and creates awareness among villagers about health issues. "I also made masks during Covid-19 pandemic and distributed them," she added.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lynching after car hit sparks communal strife in Bhilwara's Jahazpur
Bhilwara: Communal tensions flared Saturday in Jahazpur town of Bhilwara district after a minor car collision with a vegetable vendor's cart led to violence in which a young man was beaten to death the previous night. A key temple event was postponed Saturday and permissions for weekend Muharram processions revoked after threats from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal not to allow any such events in this area of the BJP-governed state. Police deployments were stepped up and markets in Jahazpur town were shut Saturday. The trouble began when Sitaram Keer (25) was headed to Jahazpur with three others in a car. Their vehicle lost control and struck a cart belonging to Sharif Mohammad, a local vegetable vendor. Tonk resident Keer was dragged out of the car and lynched by a mob of vegetable vendors and other locals, said police. VHP, Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organisations staged protests outside Jahazpur police station demanding immediate arrests. Police registered a murder case against 15 people and detained three youths for questioning. The protesters refused to allow post-mortem until their demands, including compensation and a job for Keer's family, were met. Jahazpur BJP MLA Gopichand Meena echoed the protesters, saying Muharram processions would not be allowed to proceed until the accused were arrested and compensation was provided to the victim's family. On Saturday, an agreement was reached between the protesters and the authorities for compensation of Rs 22 lakh, a contractual job for a member of Keer's family and an undertaking from the police to promptly arrest the accused. The post-mortem was done Saturday and Keer's body handed over to his family, officials said. "We are reviewing CCTV footage and questioning several individuals. Three youths have been detained," Bhilwara SP Dharmendra Singh Yadav said, appealing for peace in the region. In spite of the agreement, the atmosphere remained surcharged. A ceremony at Jahazpur Fort honouring local deity Lord Peetambar Rai Maharaj, scheduled after a 10-month interval, was indefinitely postponed. VHP demanded suspension of Muharram processions across Bhilwara district. "The brutal killing of the Hindu youth has caused immense anger in the community," said local VHP functionary Vijay Ojha. Local authorities said they continued to monitor the situation closely to prevent any further escalation of tensions in the area.
