Chandigarh October 23:
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal reviewed the ongoing paddy procurement in the state and asked the FCI to expedite the process.
Mr Badal was presiding over a meeting of the senior administrative secretaries here at his residence in which Food and Civil supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon was also present.
Reviewing the status of paddy procured by all the procuring agencies till yesterday as per their allotted share, Mr Badal asked FCI GM Neelkanth to expedite the procurement process in the mandis under their control to save the farmers from undue harassment. He further asked the government officers to closely monitor the procurement in all the districts and regularly visit their assigned mandis till the entire exercise was completed.
Mr Badal directed all the Deputy Commissioners to involve their district field officers and staff in the procurement process for making paddy lifting smooth and hassle free till the last grain left in the mandis was lifted. He further said that no laxity while performing duties would be tolerated at any cost.
Food and Civil supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon said that to avoid any inconvenience to the farmers, he along with his staff was keeping strict vigil on procurement through out the state. Expressing satisfaction over the procurement process, except in few Mandis, Mr Kairon informed that till last evening 57.96 lakh tonne of paddy had been procured in the state.
