Jaipur, April 4 (IANS) To address practical challenges in wheat procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and resolve farmers’ grievances, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chaired a high-level meeting at the Kota Circuit House on Saturday.
Birla directed officials to strengthen the procurement mechanism and ensure that no farmer faces inconvenience.
Emphasising farmer welfare, he stated that 100 per cent of farmers’ wheat must be procured at MSP.
In view of crop damage caused by recent rains and hailstorms, he instructed officials to seek and implement necessary relaxations in quality standards to minimise rejection of produce.
Birla directed officials to visit mandis, interact directly with farmers, and resolve their issues promptly to prevent any financial loss.
He informed that discussions with the Government of India regarding relaxation in grain quality norms have already taken place, and orders are expected within the next three days.
To further streamline procurement, he directed that procurement allocation be doubled and that all procurement centres operate at full capacity starting Monday.
On logistics and storage, Birla emphasised that there must be no shortage of gunny bags in the Kota-Bundi region. He directed that the tender process for additional gunny bags be completed swiftly to ensure availability within seven days.
He also instructed that warehouses and godowns remain operational even on holidays and that adequate railway rakes be arranged for the smooth transportation of procured wheat.
He further directed that issues related to discrepancies in MSP procurement and rejection of wheat consignments sent by Rajfed to Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses be resolved promptly.
To address operational challenges, Birla issued directions to resolve issues with slot booking and biometric authentication. He emphasised that all farmers should receive procurement slots by Monday.
Additionally, he directed the establishment of a control room at Bhamashah Mandi for prompt grievance redressal.
He also called for simplification and streamlining of mandi operations, including arrival procedures, farmer facilities, weighing, and procurement processes, to ensure maximum procurement of produce.
During the meeting, Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar presented samples of rain-affected wheat from Bundi district and stressed the urgent need for the Central Government to relax quality norms.
He also suggested increasing the procurement target for the Kota division and recommended writing to the Central Government to double the existing target of six lakh metric tonnes.
Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) Ambrish Kumar informed that wheat procurement will commence at all centres in Kota and Bundi districts from Monday.
He assured that all registered farmers will receive notifications for slot bookings.
Farmers will be allowed to bring their produce either on their assigned date or within one week thereafter.
He further stated that steps are being taken to ensure wheat is procured from every registered farmer. A request has already been sent to the Union Food Secretary seeking relaxation in quality standards due to weather-related damage.
He informed that sufficient gunny bags for the procurement of 4 lakh metric tonnes are currently available in the division. A rate contract for additional supply has been finalised, and further arrangements will be made as procurement progresses.
Samit Sharma briefed the meeting on procurement preparations at cooperative centres, while Rajfed Managing Director Saurabh Swami confirmed that all arrangements at Rajfed centres are complete and procurement will begin as scheduled. Officials from Tilam Sangh also confirmed readiness at their 35 procurement centres.
Those present in the meeting included Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar, Principal Secretary (Cooperatives) Samit Sharma, Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) Ambrish Kumar, Rajfed Managing Director Saurabh Swami, and District Collector Piyush Samariya. The meeting was also attended by officials from the Food Corporation of India, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, Rajfed, Cooperative Department, and District Administration including Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar Agarwal, District Collector Piyush Samariya, Avinash Rathi (President, Kota Grain and Seeds Merchant Association), and senior officials from FCI, Rajfed, Tilam Sangh, Cooperative Department, and the Department of Food and Civil Supplies.
–IANS
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