Raipur
In Chhattisgarh, Congress held a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan on farmers’ issues including paddy procurement and attacked the BJP government. State Congress President Deepak Baij said that the government is conspiring not to buy paddy. It is clear from the new policy of Vishnu Dev Sai government that it wants to reduce the purchase of paddy from farmers.
Baij said, this time the target is to purchase 160 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. The time fixed for this is from 14th November to 31st January. After subtracting Saturday, Sunday and government holidays, the total number is 47 days. This means that the government will have to purchase approximately three and a half lakh metric tons per day, only then the target will be achieved. At present the pace at which paddy is being procured seems impossible to achieve the target. Societies are instructed to purchase only a maximum of 752 quintals i.e. 1880 bags of paddy in a day. In such a situation, a farmer is being given a date in the coming days for his remaining paddy.
State Congress President Deepak Baij said that the government has announced that money will come into the accounts of farmers within 72 hours, but the money has not come into the accounts of those who sold paddy on November 14, the amount that is coming is a The lump sum is not Rs 3100. (which is the support price) is coming only at Rs 2300 per quintal.
Baij said that the Anavari report is being made wrong, on the basis of which only 9 to 12-14 quintals of paddy is being purchased. Full 21 quintals of paddy is not being purchased from farmers. Paddy is not being purchased in the society from seed producing farmers. A notice has been pasted in the society that paddy from seed producing farmers will not be taken. There is shortage of gunny bags in the society, farmers are worried. The government has said that 50 percent new and 50 percent old gunny bags should be used. 50 percent of the old gunny bags have not reached the committees, due to which paddy procurement is being disrupted.
Tokens are not being issued in paddy procurement centres, farmers worried
State Congress President Deepak Baij said that tokens are not being issued in paddy procurement centres. Farmers stand for hours. Due to online token system, farmers are not getting the token even after 15 days. Pay the price of paddy in Rs 3217, because BJP had said Rs 3100 in its election promise. The Central Government has increased the support price of paddy by Rs 117. For this reason, this year the purchase of paddy should be increased from Rs 3100 to Rs 3217. Even during the time of Congress, Congress had promised to give support price of paddy at Rs. 2500, but when the support price was increased, Congress bought paddy at Rs. 2640.
Paddy procurement affected by BJP’s new policy
State Congress President Baij said that the Congress government’s policy of paddy procurement has been changed by the BJP government. According to the new policy, the policy of lifting buffer stock within 72 hours has been changed. Earlier, due to the existence of this provision, the committees had the right to challenge if the work was not done within the time limit. Now, after the changes that have taken place, there is no limit on the increase of buffer stock. There is a shortage of space in paddy procurement centres. Earlier, Markfed had imposed an obligation to dispose of all the paddy by 28th February. Now it has been extended to 31 March. Paddy procurement will stop on January 31, i.e. paddy will now be kept in committees/collection centers for two months.
Rice mills have expressed their inability to mill paddy.
He said that the Congress government had decided to give Rs 120 per quintal for paddy milling, the result of which was that 700 new rice mills were opened across the state. Now the government has reduced the wage from Rs 120 to Rs 60 for the miller. For this reason the rice millers are on strike. There is a jam in Paddy Society. After the decision to pay Rs 60 to millers instead of Rs 120, rice millers associations in various districts have started expressing their inability to mill the paddy.
In the press conference, former minister Amitesh Shukla, former minister Dr. Shivkumar Dahria, former MP Chhaya Verma, State Congress Communication Department Chairman Sushil Anand Shukla, District President Udhoram Verma, General Secretary Saklen Kadar, State Congress senior spokesperson RP Singh, Dhananjay Singh Thakur, Surendra Verma. Kisan Congress President Abhishek Mishra, spokesperson Satya Prakash Singh, spokesperson Vandana Rajput were present.