The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday hit out at the Congress government in Punjab for delaying the wheat procurement season by ten days to April 10, instead of April 1.
Senior SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra and Daljit Singh Cheema said the very fact that the State government had delayed the procurement season was proof that it was playing into the hands of the Central government. “The delay will cause hardship to farmers who will have to stock their harvested crops in the fields for ten days, besides leading to the extension of the procurement season and late sowing of the upcoming paddy crop.”
Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government had announced to start wheat procurement operations from April 10 this year. The decision was taken at a recently held COVID-19 review meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
‘Will meet Guv.’
Mr. Chandumajra and Mr. Cheema said the SAD would take up the issue with Governor V.P. Singh Badnore on March 30 and demand that the procurement start from April 1. “We will also bring to the Governor’s attention that the government has compromised the interests of the State by presiding over a huge paddy procurement scam under which paddy purchased at ₹800 per quintal from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was brought to Punjab and purchased at ₹1,900 per quintal. This is why against a likely purchase of 164 lakh tonne, the actual paddy purchased in the last season was 218 lakh tonnes,” said the leaders at a press conference here.
They alleged that the government was sleeping over the issue of new specifications for procurement of food grains by the Food Corporation of India. “It is clear that the Central government is trying to renege on the payment for food grains on MSP and the State government is becoming a tool in fulfilling this nefarious agenda,” they alleged.
