Arhtiyas finish stir, wheat procurement begins

PROCUREMENT OF wheat crop commenced in Punjab after arhtiyas known as off their strike and agreed to DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) of the MSP into farmers’ accounts.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on his half, mentioned the state would instantly launch Rs 131 crore to the arhtiyas pending for over 18 months with out ready for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to launch funds.
The FCI had withheld the dues since many arhtiyas had not fed farmer particulars on the Punjab Financial Management Service Portal.

Interacting with arhtiyas by video conferencing Saturday, Amarinder Singh mentioned regardless of the Centre’s directive to exclude them (arhtiyas) from MSP funds, they “shall always be associated with procurement”.
“Till I am there, you will be part of the system,” he mentioned, including he’ll make sure that the arhtiya fee and different expenses permitted beneath the APMC Act proceed.
Meanwhile, in yet one more association, the state authorities additionally instructed arhtiyas it’s going to ship an SMS alert to them together with farmers after cash is transferred into farmers’ financial institution accounts.
H S Rosha, former president of Khanna Ahrtiya Federation, mentioned, “This alert will help us in keeping our relationship (give-and-take) with farmers. With no option but to opt for DBT, this alert will keep our system running.” Earlier, an arhtiya obtained the cash for the crop, deducted his instalment, after which transferred the funds to the farmers.
The CM additionally assured arhtiyas that his authorities will take up with Centre the problem of 30 per cent deduction in labour funds made by the FCI.
The interplay between CM and arhtiyas occurred over video name throughout their assembly with Punjab Food Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana’s Bachat Bhawan.
Though ahrtiyas had introduced the strike on Friday protesting DBT, farmers had began bringing crop to the mandis within the night time and morning hours on Saturday.
It got here in 349 out of the entire 4,000 buy centres. The first buy was finished from Rajpura the place Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu began the procurement drive.
“On day one of procurement drive, 28,807 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat arrived in Punjab mandis of which only 2,642 MT was purchased by the government purchase agencies,” mentioned Ravi Bhagat, secretary, Punjab Mandi Board.
However neither any lifting nor any fee was finished on day one. At majority buy centres, fee brokers acknowledged that they’ll begin the method from Sunday or Monday.

Meanwhile, DBT shall be finished within the account of the farmer who’s farming on land whether or not a contract farmer or the land proprietor himself, mentioned a Mandi Board Official, claiming that as of now the problem of submitting land data with Food Corporation of India has been postponed.