BHUBANESWAR: In the face of massive outcry over lapsed tokens of over 2.50 lakh farmers and early closure of the mandis, the State government asserted in the Assembly that the decentralised paddy procurement is done in a highly transparent manner.
Dismissing Opposition allegations of large scale irregularities in kharif paddy procurement, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain told the Assembly that 15.43 lakh of the total registered farmers were found eligible to sell surplus paddy to the government under the minimum support price.
The Minister said that the State government has purchased over 57.16 lakh tonnes of paddy from 12.91 lakh farmers as on March 25, 2022 and the cost of the paddy is Rs 11,089 crore. Though he spoke elaborately about the steps taken and technology used by the government to make the paddy procurement automation system (P-PAS) error-free and ensure that all registered farmers sell their stocks, he could not explain why 2.52 lakh registered farmers were left out and what will happen to the farmers whose tokens have lapsed.
Initiating the debate on the admissibility of the adjournment notice, leader of the Congress legislature party, Narsingha Mishra slammed the government for making the procurement business miller driven. He said the government is treating the farmers like insects and forcing them to sell their paddy to millers at a discounted price of Rs 1,100-Rs 1,200 per quintal as against the MSP of Rs 1,940 a quintal.
Expressing concern over the lapsed tokens of a large number of farmers, Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Majhi said many more are still waiting to sell their paddy but the government has closed the mandis. He urged the Minister to direct officials concerned to procure all paddy.
The Minister in his reply to an adjournment notice of the Congress said that 91 secretaries of primary societies have been suspended for irregularities in procurement. Swain said the major challenge before the State government now is scarcity of funds due to non-reimbursement of food subsidy bill to the tune of Rs 8,487 crore till March 25.
He said the State government has already borrowed Rs 18,200 crore from the open market due to delay in release of the food subsidy by the Centre and the interest component of the loan is about Rs 5,500. The Odisha State Civil Supply Corporation is in a tight position financially because the Centre refused to bear the interest liability of the corporation.