CHANDIGARH APRIL 17:Punjab Chief Minister Mr.Parkash Singh Badal today reviewed the arrangements of the wheat procurement in the State during the current Rabi Marketing season (RMS) to ensure smooth, efficient and quick procurement and directed the Deputy Commissioners to personally oversee the procurement operations in unison with the functionaries of the Food and Civil Supplies department and the heads of the procurement agencies to undertake the procurement as per their allotted share so that every grain of the farmer is lifted.
Presiding over a high-level meeting to monitor the arrangements for the wheat procurement, Mr.Badal asked the Principal Secretary Food and Civil Supplies to depute Administrative Secretaries to supervise procurement in the districts allotted to them. He also directed the Senior Regional Manager FCI Punjab region to issue guide lines to the field officers of the FCI for timely procurement of wheat keeping in view the inclement weather. He asked the FCI to reschedule its proposal to put special rice in the mandis which was hampering the procurement of wheat. He also asked the food and supplies department that no laxity on their part would be tolerated.
Mr. Badal was apprised in the meeting that the production of wheat was likely to touch 145.96 lac MTs during the RMS 2008-09 as compared to last year production target of 145 lac MTs. As on today Market arrival of wheat in the state was around 12.43 lac MTs of the estimated production. Likely arrival of wheat would be approximately 105 lac MTs out of which the procurement by State Government agencies was likely to be 93.45 lac MTs and 11.55 lac MTs by FCI. It was informed in the meeting that during last year 72.07 lac MTs of wheat was procured by Government agencies and 7.04 lac MTs by traders. Approximately 1600 purchase centers had been set up for the procurement.
The Chief Minister directed his Principal Secretary DS Guru to issue guidelines to all the Deputy Commissioners to regularly hold meetings of the concerned officials of the procurement agencies of their respective districts to monitor the progress on day to day basis.
The meeting was attended by Food & Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Chairman Mandi Board Ajmer Singh Lakhowal Principal Secretary Food & Civil Supplies RPS Pawar, Financial Commissioner Development RS Sandhu, Director Food & Civil Supplies S.P.Singh and Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Gagandeep Singh Brar besides all the commissioners and Deputy commissioners of the state.