Revanth Reddy Fires On KCR Over Bathukamma Sarees Distribution Scheme:- In the backdrop of women venting their anger over the distribution of cheap quality “Bathukamma sarees” from the Telangana government, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Legislature Party Leader, Revanth Reddy alleged that the scheme was a huge scam of over 150 crores by the TRS government and demanded a probe in this.

Addressing a media conference in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy said Telangana State Textiles Complex Co-Operative Society Limited, which is an allied organisation of Telangana State Handloom Weavers Society (TSCO), gave an advertisement on July 10 in English daily The Hindu inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) for the task.

(Video Source: NTV Telugu)

“The advertisement stated that those who come before July 13 will be given the contract. However, no one has turned up,” he said. So the TSCO single-handedly worked out the plan to procure sarees since the deadline is nearing in.

No technical assessment has been done on the yarn count, weaving stage, procurement and processing stage for the sarees that are being distributed to poor women in Telangana as part of the Bathukamma festival. The state government claimed that about about 53 lakh sarees were procured from the weavers in Sircilla and rest of them from Surat and various cities in the country. “Even if the whole weaving community in Sircilla town toiled day and night for two months, only 1.5 lakh crore metres (20 lakh sarees) can be produced. Which is far less than the claimed quantity,” Revanth Reddy pointed out.

Setting aside the famous textiles weavers from Gadwal, Kothakota, Pochampalli, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao gave orders to his trusted TRS councillors from Sircilla town to procure 53 lakh sarees, Revanth Reddy alleged.

Revanth Reddy further said that when the TDP enquired about the quality of the saris from textile traders of Surat, they confirmed that the sarees were of poor quality sold by weight. They put the price of the saris as Rs 250 a kg. Six sarees constitute one kg. Therefore, an inference can be drawn that the cost of each sari would not be more than Rs 60 including transportation costs. But the government claims the cost of each sari to be at least Rs 224. Now, it remains to be seen how the TRS government justifies the allegation and replies to the opposition.

SUPRAJA