April 20 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Haryana, Chief Secretary Sh. T.V.S.N Prasad today directed the Deputy Commissioners to promptly survey crops damaged by hailstorms to ensure timely compensation for affected farmers. He emphasised that farmer satisfaction is paramount.
The Chief Secretary was reviewing the ongoing procurement activities during the Rabi Marketing season in Haryana with the Deputy Commissioners, officers from the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, representatives from the Food Corporation of India, and various other agencies. Deputy Commissioners participated in the meeting via video conference.
Sh. Prasad stressed the need to expedite the lifting of stocks from the Mandis, insisting that at least 50 percent of the stocks be promptly transferred to godowns by tomorrow evening. He directed Deputy Commissioners to facilitate dialogue between commission agents and farmers, urging farmers to refrain from bringing their crops to the Mandis to clear space for wheat arrivals. Consequently, there will be no purchase tomorrow, i.e. on April 21.
The Chief Secretary also underscored that the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has also authorised district authorities to utilize vehicles owned by commission agents (Arhatis) for transporting crops from Mandis to warehouses. They will be paid rates already approved by the department for hiring such vehicles. This initiative aims to bolster the availability of transportation resources and expedite the uptake process, he added.
The Chief Secretary asked Administrative Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners, along with officers involved in Rabi crop procurement, to make the payment to farmers within 72 hours of issuing the J-Form. He also directed the administrative secretaries to visit the allotted Mandis to ensure a seamless procurement process of grains.
Sh. Prasad gave clear directions to the officers that farmers should not face any problem in selling their crops, and payment for the crops should be ensured within the stipulated period under all circumstances. The Chief Secretary mentioned that for the convenience of the farmers, silos have also been made procurement centers where the farmers can directly take their crops to sell.
Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Smt. Ashima Brar, Director, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Sh. Mukul Kumar and other senior officers from FCI and Haryana Warehousing Corporation remained present during the meeting.
