UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi strongly objected to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raising questions on wheat procurement in the state. The minister reacted on a letter sent to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by Priyanka on Monday alleging laxity in wheat purchase. The minister rejected the charges levelled by the by the Congress leader, saying she is making false statements.
The minister said that being a responsible leader, Priyanka should have checked the facts and ascertain the efforts made by the state government for procurement of wheat before writing the letter. “The Congress leader cannot be expected to praise the Yogi government, but at least she could have mentioned the measures taken by the government in ensuring wheat procurement from the farmers,” Shahi said.
He said that the Yogi government has provided relief to more than 86 lakh marginal farmers of the state after it took charge in 2017. In the first cabinet meeting, the government gave relief to the farmers by waiving their loans to the tune of Rs 36,000 crore. The minister said that despite the adverse situation caused by the pandemic, the government has made record wheat procurement this year.
In the current Rabi season so far, more than 56 lakh MT of wheat has been procured from more than 12.84 lakh farmers, while 90 percent of the farmers have also been paid their dues. The balance payment will be made soon.
He said that the Congress leader should also know that this time, the deadline for the Rabi procurement season has been extended till June 22, so that farmers can sell more and more of their produce. “This year, the number of procurement centres has also been increased to 6,000 from 5,000 last year,” he added.