No Rabi paddy procurement after June 30: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The State government has decided to stop paddy procurement for the Rabi season after June 30, Food minister Sanjay Dasburma said here today.

Farmers can register themselves for Rabi procurement till June 25. "I request the farming community to register before June 25 if they have surplus paddy to sell. The procurement will continue till June 30," Dasburma told media persons on the second day of collectors’ conference here.

The minister added that the Odisha government had decided to introduce Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) for the farmers in 134 blocks to make payment for the procured paddy more transparent. The collectors have been directed to facilitate the online payment system in a transparent manner. They have been asked to follow the guidelines on selling limits for farmers as instructed by the Food department earlier.

Talking about the alleged irregularities in the distribution of ration cards under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the minister promised to exclude the ineligible beneficiaries and to include the genuine ones in the next two months.

"The chief minister has emphasised that not a single real beneficiary should be deprived of the benefit. He instructed the collectors to lodge FIRs against the ineleigible beneficiaries," Dasburma said.

Around 3.42 lakh applications are pending before the collectors in different districts, which they would verify in the next two months, he added.

When asked about action to check the rising prices of essential goods, the minister said the government had directed all the collectors to strictly follow the Essential Commodities Act. “It is a national problem and the State government will soon meet over the matter,” he said.