In anticipation of more than eight lakh farmers who are expected to bring their produce to mandis across Punjab during the fast-approaching Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2023-24, beginning on October 1, the Punjab Government has gone to great lengths to ensure foolproof arrangements.
A total of 1806 mandis have been established throughout the State, each connected to rice mills via a computerized GPS system.
The state’s Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, presiding over a meeting to review the preparations for KMS 2023-24, emphasized the importance of ensuring a hassle-free procurement process, smooth product lifting, and timely payments to farmers.
To enhance transparency, Kataruchak announced that biometric authentication of farmers would be implemented at every mandi, and a Nodal Officer would oversee all arrangements. Rice mills will not serve as purchase centers, and cartage contractors and millers will be required to use vehicle tracking systems. Additionally, an online gate pass mechanism will be introduced.
To meet the demand, an ample supply of gunny bags has been secured, and 480 new rice mills have been approved for the allotment stage. The Minister sternly warned against any malpractices, asserting that they would not be tolerated.
The procurement target for this season has been set at 182 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT), and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has authorized a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 37,625.68 crore for paddy procurement.
To prevent paddy from other states being sold at Punjab's mandis, checkpoints or “nakas” will be set up at key locations.
The Minister also informed the Deputy Directors of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (DFSCs) that top-performing DFSCs during KMS 2023-24 would be recognized and rewarded, following the model of RMS 2023-24.
Regarding ration cards, Kataruchak stressed the importance of transparency by insisting that contact numbers and essential information of Vigilance Committee members be uploaded online for verification. Vigilance Committees play a critical role in scrutinizing forms submitted as part of the survey process for procuring ration cards.
