Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday held a detailed meeting with all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the state to discuss crucial agricultural and welfare issues in the State. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of efficient paddy procurement and the prevention of stubble burning, among other issues.
Chief Minister, during the meeting, emphasized the need for a smooth and hassle-free process of paddy procurement in mandis (grain markets) and the prompt lifting of crops in all districts. He urged the DCs to ensure the timely purchase and lifting of farmers' produce to facilitate them, asserting that any negligence in this duty was unacceptable.
Mann highlighted the State Government's commitment in ensuring a seamless paddy procurement process and instructed DCs to implement government decisions diligently. He urged the DCs to visit seven to eight mandis daily to oversee operations at the ground level and submit daily reports for monitoring purposes.
To maintain an effective procurement process, Mann encouraged the officers to closely monitor the procurement operations to prevent grain stocks from accumulating in the markets. He stressed the importance of keeping him updated on procurement operations by submitting daily reports on paddy crop arrivals, purchases, and payments.
The Chief Minister informed that the government had already put extensive arrangements in place to ensure the smooth, timely, and hassle-free lifting of farmers’ harvests. He emphasized that for the first time in the state's history, lifting had commenced from the first day of procurement, with digitization of the entire process. Mann urged the DCs to strictly adhere to the prescribed norms for timely payments to farmers.
He noted that 1,854 purchase centers had been designated by the Punjab Mandi Board and allocated to government procurement agencies. To protect farmers’ interests, biometric authentication methods have been introduced for those bringing grains to mandis. Mann emphasized the issuance of online gate passes for vehicles to ensure transparency in grain lifting.
Additionally, the CM urged the DCs to raise awareness among farmers about the harmful effects of paddy straw burning. He emphasized the need to combat this practice due to its environmental and health hazards. Mann mentioned that more machines had been distributed this year, compared to the previous year, and called for strict monitoring to prevent straw burning.
“The paddy straw burning must be checked as it poses grave danger to atmosphere and human life…As compared to last year, 23,000 more machines have been given and now the DCs must ensure strict monitoring to check the menace of straw burning for next few days,” he added.
Regarding flood compensation, Mann said that the Government had initiated the process to compensate the affected people for every loss incurred. Adequate funds are available in the State Disaster Fund for this purpose.
The Chief Minister also praised the Aam Aadmi clinics for providing free treatment and diagnostic services, noting their positive impact on public health. He announced plans to open more such clinics and urged the DCs to efficiently monitor their operations.
Mann highlighted the government's commitment to public health by mentioning the ‘CM ki Yogshaala’ project, which offers free yoga training to people. He stated that 290 CM ki yogshaalas are already operational, with plans to open more in the future.