Now, MPs can recommend funds for providing weighing machines under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for weighing agricultural produce.
The Centre has granted the MPs’ demand to allow them to use the MPLADS funds for providing weighing machines for correctly weighing the agricultural produce and to save the farmers from being cheated at the hands of commission agents.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has modified the existing MPLADS guidelines to allow MPs to recommend installation of fixed weighing scale machines for agricultural and horticultural produce at village level.
As per the modified guidelines, the weighing machine should be installed on land belonging to the government and should be owned, operated and maintained by gram panchayats.
The villagers can access the machines.
The machine should be used either free of charge or on no profit no loss basis.
According to the guidelines, if required, only nominal charges can be charged, which would be used for the upkeep of the machine.