Chandigarh, Oct 22 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said the Centre was not lifting the foodgrain stocked in Punjab in an act of political revenge against the farmers who fought off the three farm laws.
Farmers in Punjab have been alleging tardy paddy procurement and lifting of crop, which has led to glut in grain markets and much hardship for them.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that the Centre was overlooking the concerns of the farmers of Punjab.
“BJP is playing dirty politics under a design to take revenge from farmers who protested against three black farm laws,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written letters to the BJP-led Centre for the evacuation of wheat and rice stock so that the state can receive fresh paddy crop.
Food Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak met Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi for the lifting of the grain.
The state government, however, has received only “assurances,” Cheema said.
Cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said, “No central government has ever treated Punjab as poorly as the current one.” AAP leader and Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Singh Kang said the central government was harassing the farmers out of spite.
“Slow lifting of grains from the markets, despite their arrival, reveals the BJP’s ill intentions towards Punjab,” he said.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan condemned the BJP government for “betraying” the farmers of the state.
Paddy lifting from mandis in Punjab is hit ever since the state rice millers refused to mill the paddy till their demands are met.
The millers have expressed concern over the out-turn ratio (post milling yield) of the PR-126 paddy variety, claiming that it will lead to huge losses to them.
They have said that the out-turn ratio of this variety is less than 67 per cent, a ratio which has been fixed by the Centre.
They are demanding that they be allowed to give 64 kg of rice out of one quintal of paddy because of less yield in PR-126 variety.
They also complained of space crunch for storing the fresh paddy crop and want the Centre to liquidate the existing wheat and paddy stock to create room.
The commission agents are pressing for a raise in their commission.
A target of procurement of 185 lakh metric tonne of paddy from Punjab has been fixed for the 2024-25 Kharif Marketing season. PTI CHS VN VN
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