TV
The Odisha Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra brought allegations of irregularities to the fore on Monday within certain rice mills during ongoing paddy procurement. Speaking to mediapersons, the Minister revealed that he received advice from a senior IAS officer to ‘turn a blind eye’ to the complaints of local farmers against these mills—a suggestion that Minister Patra openly criticised.
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The Minister expressed his dismay at being encouraged to disregard conflicts between the farmers and the mill owners. He stated that this attitude must be urgently addressed.
“At some places, an IAS officer asked me to refrain from interfering and rather to leave the things on to the farmers and millers. ‘Do not interfere in the procurement and let them (the millers) take the produce themselves’,” the Minister said quoting the IAS officer.
“I asked the officer, What about our (government) policies?” the Minister questioned.
“I am astonished that the typical mindset still exists as before. Changing everyone involved in the procurement process is taking time,” Minister Patra stated.
“The illegal practice of ‘Katni-Chhatni’ will be brought to an end. We will take stringent action against anyone found guilty of malpractice during the paddy procurement process, irrespective of their position,” Patra emphasised. He reiterated his commitment to enforcing necessary actions to resolve these issues.
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Besides, millers insisting on ‘Katni-Chhatni’ will be black-listed, the Minister warned.
Following Patra’s statements, several questions have emerged. There is growing curiosity about whether officials from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) are still obstructing the minister’s initiatives, including questions about the identity of the implicated officer.
