BHUBANESWAR: Opposition Congress and BJP on Friday turned the heat on the State Government in the Assembly alleging distress sale of paddy and failure in procurement. They later walked out in protest. Raising the issue during admissibility of an Adjournment Motion notice, Bishnu Charan Sethi and Jayanarayan Mishra (both BJP) alleged that paddy from Bhadrak and Balasore districts is being sent to West Bengal and Bangladesh as the State Government has failed to procure the crop.
While the Government is yet to pay Rs 1 crore to farmers in Bhadrak district towards paddy procurement, the officials of Civil Supplies Department were involved in corruption and irregularities, they said.Congress members Suresh Routray, Santosh Singh Saluja and Tara Prasad Bahinipati also alleged irregularities in mandis, rejection of crops citing poor quality and involvement of middlemen in paddy procurement in different parts of the State. They wanted to know how despite a drought-like situation in Balangir district, paddy procurement quantity is increasing.
Bahinipati stated that in Koraput, the Government said permission was given for procurement of one lakh tonne paddy and district civil supplies official and Collector maintained that target has been achieved. “But, paddy stocks of farmers are yet to be lifted from market yards,” he said.
Making a statement in response, Food Supply and Cooperation Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said the State Government has set a target to procure 55 lakh tonnes of paddy in rabi season. So far, 65 lakh tonnes have been procured. Rejecting the opposition allegation of distress sale, the Minister said if any complaint is received from anywhere the Government will sort out the issue in two days.