Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday directed the Food and Civil Supplies Department to ensure elaborate arrangements in place for smooth and hassle-free paddy procurement during Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22.
The Agriculture Department has fixed the target of 197.47 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy production during current KMS with sowing of crop over 30 lakh hectares across the State.
Notably, the Department successfully procured 202.83 LMT paddy in Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21 and 132.10 LMT wheat in Rabi Marketing Season 2021-22 (RMS 2021-22).
The Chief Minister, chairing a high level meeting to review the functioning of the Department through video conferencing, also asked the Food and Civil Supplies Department to tie up with Centre well in advance for timely procurement of gunny bags (bardana) besides ensuring requisite logistics including transportation and labour for un-interrupted lifting of paddy so that the farmers could get payment of their produce within the stipulated timeline.
The Food and Civil Supplies secretary Rahul Tiwari has also been asked by the Chief Minister to ensure speedy distribution of foodgrains to the beneficiaries.
Taking part in the deliberations, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu assured the Chief Minister that the Department would leave no stone unturned to ensure timely and seamless procurement of paddy during KMS 2021-22 like previous nine consecutive procurements of both Rabi and Kharif since March 2017.
Tiwari, making a brief presentation, apprised the Chief Minister that the Department has already developed a software to implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) during KMS 2021-22. For procurement, the Department functions through its Anaaj Kharid Portal which has registered nearly 10 lakh farmers, 24,000 arhtiyas (commission agents), and 4000 millers.
As many as 1.51 crore eligible beneficiaries have been distributed wheat through online mode under NFSA, 2013.
Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna’s (PMGKAY) Phase-I and Phase-II of Wheat and Pulses and Phase-III of Wheat, additional allocation to all 1.41 crore NFSA 2013 beneficiaries has been made. Apart from this, 14 lakh food packets under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme, 17 lakh dry ration packets were distributed to needy from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) under CM COVID Relief Program and one lakh additional food packets are under distribution to Covid-19 positive patients.