Paddy procurement and transportation progressing vigorously in Rupnagar district: Harjot Singh Bains

Chandigarh, October 23, 2024: Punjab Information and Public Relations and School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains today said that paddy procurement and transportation operations are proceeding at full swing in Rupnagar district.

Training gun at BJP led government at Centre, Harjot Singh Bains lamented that the union government has directly and indirectly affected paddy procurement in retaliation against Punjab farmers for their role in getting the agricultural laws repealed.

He informed that Rupnagar district Mandis have received 62,065 tonnes of paddy so far, out of which 59,354 tonnes have been procured and the lifting process is also proceeding rapidly alongside procurement.

He categorically said that timely procurement of paddy from farmers in the Mandis has been ensured.

Harjot Singh Bains revealed that record procurement and lifting has been achieved in Nangal and Surewal Mandis of Rupnagar district. "And, I am continuously monitoring procurement and lifting operations in Agampur, Kiratpur, Bharatgarh, Nangal and Surewal Mandis", he mentioned.

Bains said, Punjab farmers are facing challenges due to the union government's step-motherly treatment, adding that while the Punjab Government has made robust arrangements to ensure immediate procurement and lifting of the paddy crop, storage capacity was reduced because the union government failed to move previously purchased crops from state warehouses.

Bains mentioned that the Punjab Government repeatedly requested the Centre to transfer crops stored in state warehouses to other states to avoid storage issues for the next crop, but the Centre deliberately ignored these requests.

He urged the state's farmers and rice millers to support Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann in facing this challenge created by the union government. "Also, despite multiple requests from the Punjab Government for rice lifting from shellers, the union government took no action", said the Cabinet Minister.

He reiterated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to purchasing every grain of paddy from the Mandis.