The Opposition Congress on Thursday pointed out several irregularities in the procurement of paddy from the farmers in Chhattisgarh.
State Congress President Bhupesh Baghel said the Government first backtracked from its promise of paying the minimum support price of Rs 2400 per quintal of paddy, now the farmers have been facing several other irregularities. He said large number of farmers had kept their paddy with them with a hope that they will get increased minimum support price after the election. As soon as the election was over, they started bringing their paddy to the nearest procurement centres.
The farmers are forced to wait in long line. They are spending sleepless night, he said. The Government should have made necessary arrangements at the procurement centres before, he added. Terming the online payment the Government has implemented to pay the farmers as a drama, Baghel alleged the farmers were not benefiting from it.
For that also farmers have been waiting for long, he pointed out. The mismanagement and irregularities in the paddy procurement is evident from the fact that only 1240 lakh quintals of paddy have been procured by 212 cooperative societies in Raigarh district which is only 15 per cent of the requirement, he said. Similarly in Janjghir district four lakh quintal of paddy have been struck and yet to be procured. Similar was the situation in Dhamtari and Bhatapara, he pointed out.
Expressing his shock that farmers were not able to sell their paddy in several area even a month after the harvest, Baghel also blamed the Government for lack of facilities and other irregularities in procurement centres and poor transportation arrangement.