Chandigarh October 14:To ensure procurement of paddy on a war footing Punjab has been divided into different zones under the direct supervision of top ranking bureaucrats till the entire process of procurement is complete.
The Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today reviewed the arrangements of paddy procurement throughout the state at a high level meeting held here this morning.
Giving the details of the meeting, Chief Minister’s Media Advisor Mr. Harcharn Bains said that the Chief Minister had categorically told the officers to treat their respective zones as their operational head quarters, "not even to think of showing me your face in Chandigarh till the last grain of paddy is lifted", asserted Mr. Badal. The Chief Minister asked the officers that no war could be won if the Generals stayed back home. The State Chief Secretary Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh had been asked to head the entire procurement operations. The
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Financial Secretary Development, Principal Secretary Food & Supplies, Director Food & Supplies and Director Agriculture had been asked to oversee the procurement operations in their respective zones. They had been further asked to constitute supervisory teams involving officers from the concerned districts in consultation with the local Deputy Commissioners.
Mr. Bains pointed out that Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. D.S. Guru had so far visited Mandis in Barnala, Bathinda, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana and Ropar and he was likely to visit the Mandis in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur within next couple of days.
The Media Advisor informed that the total procurement of paddy this year was likely to exceed 145 lac MT. He said that 40.27 lac MT of Paddy had been procured till October 13 out of which 35.75 lac MT had been procured by the government agencies that is Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, Punjab Agro and FCI. Besides, the private Millers had procured 4.52 lac MT of paddy.
Showing satisfaction over the paddy procurement, Mr. Bains mentioned that 90% to 95% payment had been made to the farmers. He said so far Sangrur District toped in paddy procurement with 100% following Moga (98%), Gurdaspur (92%) Ludhiana (97%), Muktsar (87%) Bathinda (86%), Kapurthala (85%), Jalandhar (85%), Patiala (80%) ,Ferozepur (75%), Faridkot (73%). The paddy arrivals in Amrisar, Tarn Taran, , Ropar and Nawanshahar district was expected to pickup by the next week.