Arrangements in place for wheat purchase in Haryana from Apr 1 Khattar

     Chandigarh, Mar 31 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said all necessary arrangements have been put in place for the smooth procurement of wheat from April 1.
     "Wheat procurement will start tomorrow (Thursday) in Haryana," Khattar said while addressing the media here.
     The procurement season of rabi crops is commencing from April 1.
     The chief minister said adequate arrangements have been made for the smooth procurement of rabi crops commencing from April 1. Concerned departments and procurement agencies have been directed to ensure that farmers do not face any inconvenience while selling their produce in different mandis across the state, he added.
     "Hassle-free and time-bound procurement should be ensured by making advance scheduling plans so that farmers do not face any problems," he said.
     The CM said that if required, the number of procurement centres will be increased to ensure hassle-free procurement.
     He said advance directions regarding timely lifting of the crops, smooth functioning of the procurement process and ensuring that no 'Arhtiya' or farmer faces any problems have also been given to the officers concerned.
     The state government had decided that the payment of procured crops would directly be made into the accounts of farmers.
     Khattar said an interest of 9 per cent would be paid to farmers if there is a delay in making payment to them.
     He said the state government is committed to safeguarding the interest of farmers.
     "It would be ensured that farmers must receive payment of their procured produce within a stipulated time period and for this, responsibilities have been fixed," he added.
     He further said the Arhtiyas' commission on wheat purchase will be paid by the procurement agencies.
     The Haryana CM also announced a relief for 'Arhtiyas' (commission agents) in outstanding payment of interest and penalties.
     As part of the state government's initiative 'Vivaadon Ka Samadhan',  Khattar announced a 40 per cent interest waiver on default amount and a 100 per cent waiver of penal interest for the Arhtiyas.
     He said that currently, there are 2,421 allottees in the defaulter list of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) and an amount of about Rs 1,131 crore is outstanding on their part.
     With this announcement, these plot holders will get a benefit of Rs 370 crore, he added.
     The CM said the government also announced a relief in outstanding payment of interest and penalties for industrialists owning Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HSIIDC) plots.
     He said the state government has introduced a settlement scheme for clearance of entire outstanding dues, which will benefit over 2,250 industrialists.
     Khattar said that in the past one and a half year, several good governance reforms were initiated by the state government ensuring minimum government and maximum governance.
     He said that while reiterating the state government's commitment to uplift the poorest of the poor in the spirit of 'Antyodaya', a new scheme 'Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Utthan Abhiyan' has been announced.
     "The Abhiyan aims to draw verified data from the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) and identify the poorest one lakh families in the state.
     "Under this, a package of measures in terms of education, skill development, wage employment, self-employment and job creation will be adopted and tailored to each family to ensure their socioeconomic upliftment," said Khattar. PTI CHS VSD HRS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)