Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday has assured Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of necessary steps after the latter informed the prime minister about the delay in permission for paddy procurement in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21.
"The delay in paddy purchase will have an adverse impact on the livelihood of the registered 21.52 lakh farmers of Chhattisgarh. The lack of permission from the central government has created a logjam involving non-lifting of paddy at the procurement centres. This delayed disposal is likely to cause damage to the stored paddy," Baghel said.
The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister claimed that the necessary permission for delivery of paddy purchased at the support price to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the central pool after milling is still awaited from the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India. "The permission for procuring rice from FCI are usually issued by mid-November," he added.
It is informed that even after several intimations and telephonic conversations between Baghel and Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, the permission in this regard has not been received yet.
According to Baghel, "In the Kharif marketing year 2020-21, the central government in the decentralised procurement scheme had given in-principle approval to Chhattisgarh to procure 60 lakh metric tonnes of rice. After which, the state government started purchasing paddy on support price from December 1, 2020. Till today about 47 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured from 12 lakh farmers."
( With inputs from ANI )
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