All set for Kharif marketing season in Punjab; nakas to be set up at state borders
Chandigarh, March 25: The Punjab Government has decided to go in for strict action against unscrupulous elements trying to sell wheat again in Punjab on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) after purchasing the same on lesser rates from other states.
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Friday said the MSP was only for the farmers and not for those traders who purchased the produce of the farmers at exorbitant rates and then sell the same in mandis to earn handsome profits, which was nothing but sheer organised loot of the precious government funds and taxpayers' money.
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The minister said the DGP had been asked to put up nakas or checkposts at the borders of Punjab, besides going in for thorough checking of all trucks laden with wheat, entering Punjab.
"Any unscrupulous element would not be spared", said the minister, while appealing to farmers, NGOs, and the public to assist the government in identifying any such element who tried to sell wheat in mandis in an illegal manner.
Apprising about the preparations concerning the approaching Kharif marketing season, the minister said that all necessary arrangements had been made with more than 2,300 mandis fully geared up to receive farmers from April 1.
The state has also received 'Bardana' in ample measure with robust arrangements being put in place regarding transportation and labour. The minister exhorted farmers to bring dry produce in the grain market so as to make sure that the precious time is not wasted in drying it before purchase.
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The government would buy every single bale of farmers' produce and won't let them encounter any difficulty, added the minister.
-PTC News
