More power to farmers in Punjab, as state government to give them full Minimum Support Price
The Punjab government recently decided that the farmers in the state would be given full Minimum Support Price (MSP) of their harvest and the value cut imposed by the Centre would not be passed on to them.
A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the Council of Ministers held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, an official spokesman said.
The Cabinet also reviewed the elaborate arrangements for the wheat procurement during the Rabi Marketing Season 2015-16.
The Cabinet further made firm resolve to bail out the farmers by extending all possible help in ensuring smooth, timely and hassle free lifting of grains, the spokesman said.
The Punjab government requested the Union government to allow purchase of wheat damaged due to recent rains.
But the Centre has imposed a value cut on damaged and shriveled grains which would reduce the MSP by atleast Rs 14 per quintal.
The state government, thus expressing solidarity with the farmers would soon take up the matter of value cut with the centre and unequivocally decided to procure the crop of farmers at MSP in any case, the spokesman said.
The union Government of has fixed the price of wheat as Rs 1450 per quintal as Minimum Support Price for the current marketing season.
In order to ensure smooth, prompt and hassle free procurement of wheat the state Food and Civil Supplies Department had already issued the Wheat Procurement Policy for this current marketing season.
Necessary arrangements for required storage space and stock article had already been completed and a network of 1810 purchase centres has been notified by the Punjab Mandi Board and allotment of Mandis to six procurement agencies have been made as per their allotted share by the state government.
The state agencies would procure estimated 100 LMT (80%) and FCI 25 LMT (20%) wheat during the ongoing procurement drive, the spokesman said.
In a bid to promote and develop power generation from New and Renewable Sources of Energy (NRSE), the Punjab Cabinet approved the amending of NRSE Policy 2012 and waived off two percent transmission and wheeling charges for wheeling on Solar and NRSE power within the state.
Source : PTI
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