Paddy farmers to be paid cheques if online payment fails

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government decided on Friday that payment to farmers would be made through cheques where online payment would not be possible.

After a review meeting under chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at State Secretariat here, Food Supply minister Sanjay Das Burma said, “We have decided that wherever the online payment is not possible, farmers will be paid through cheques.”

The meeting also decided to take action against unscrupulous millers, the minister added.

In this kharif season, paddy procurement has been started in twelve districts and in this month the exercise would be done in fifteen districts, informed the minister adding next month farmers in remaining districts could sell their paddy in market yards.

Notably, in the recent past, farmers in Bargarh district were forced to leave their paddy bags under open sky at the market yards operated by Regulated Market Committees (RMCs) due to problems in online payment process.