Capt laws out DBT for crop procurement: ‘will proceed to pay farmers via arhtiyas’

Digging in his heels for a prolonged combat with Centre at the factor of paying the MSP immediately into farmers’ accounts, Punjab Leader Minister Capt Amarinder Singh Thursday refused to enforce the brand new machine that seeks to avoid the arhtiyas or the fee brokers. Assuring them of complete beef up, he stated his govt will proceed with the older machine of bills to farmers via arhtiyas.

Amarinder gave the peace of mind whilst a gathering of arhtiyas, govt officers and Meals Minister, Bharat Bhushan Ashu. He informed the arhtiyas, who met him below the banner of the Federation of Arhtiya Affiliation of Punjab, that he’s going to search an appointment with Top Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the problem. Pointing out that he does now not now not suppose that he’s going to “get an appointment”, Amarinder stated he’s going to write a letter to the PM asking him to rethink the Direct Receive advantages Switch (DBT) scheme, ship him a duplicate of state’s APMC Act and in addition a duplicate of the judgment of Punjab and Haryana Prime Courtroom at the factor of fee to farmers for foodgrains procurement.

“My doorways are open for you,” the CM informed the ‘arhtiyas.

Union Meals Minister Piyush Goyal on March 27 had written to the Punjab govt, asking it to enforce the direct fee of the minimal beef up value (MSP) to farmers.

“The CM stated he’s going to ship the PM the replica of the principles and ask him to learn the Act that supplied for fee to the arhtiyas and indirectly to the farmers. Additionally, there’s a HC judgement of April 2013 at the factor,” Ashu informed The Indian information after the assembly.

In 2013, the prime court docket had directed “ to get directions as as to if within the means of sale of agricultural produce, the place a fee agent (kacha arhtiya) certifies that the farmer does now not owe the rest to him/her,the volume of sale can be immediately distributed via the patron to the farmer/supplier via account payee cheque inside three days from the acquisition of the produce and if kacha arhtia certifies {that a} specific quantity is because of him from the farmer, to that extent the cheque, after sale, can be issued within the title of the kacha arhtia and for remainder of the produce bought, the cheque will immediately move to the farmer. In each the circumstances, the kacha arhtia gets his fee via cheque from the patron”.

Punjab has been paying cheques immediately to the arhtiyas. The former SAD-BJP govt had requested the farmers in the event that they sought after direct cash switch. At the moment, just a few farmers had volunteered for a similar.

Ashu added that after the APMC Act supplied for the fee to the arhtiyas, the Centre may just now not overrule them. “That is an infringement on state’s rights,” he stated.

A central authority observation issued after the assembly stated that Amarinder confident the arhtiyas that they’d stay an integral a part of the procurement machine within the state. He stated his govt would proceed to face with them and combat for them towards the central govt’s transfer “to damage the established machine” of constructing bills to farmers via them.

He additionally directed the involved division to unencumber the pending Rs.131 crore of the arhtiyas, due from the state govt.

Amarinder informed the arhtiyas that he has been in search of time to satisfy PM, who, he stated, looked to be busy with election campaigns in quite a lot of states. He informed ‘arhtiyas’ that despite the fact that he didn’t be expecting the PM to provide him time to satisfy at the DBT factor, he and his govt would stay writing to the central govt and knocking on its door at the factor.

The CM stated that he had already written to the PM on March 19, and had additionally spoken to Union House Minister Amit Shah, who, he claimed, has confident him of all lend a hand within the topic. Ashu too had met Shah to talk about the problem, he added.

On the assembly, the Federation of Arhtiya Affiliation of Punjab accused Haryana of “betraying” them via accepting the DBT proposal of the central govt. They described Haryana Leader Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and PM Modi as two aspects of the similar coin. “However we place confidence in you,” the federation informed Amarinder.

Amarinder stated the Punjab farmers proportion a long-standing and time-tested family members with arhtiyas, whom, he described as “the spine of the a success procurement machine within the state”.

But even so continuance of the prevailing machine of fee to farmers via them, the arhtiyas are tough clearance of all dues from the Meals Company of India. They’re additionally hostile to the proposed linking of land data with farmers’ produce being delivered to mandis (grain markets), claiming that there’s no provision within the present APMC Act or Regulations to permit it. In case it’s to be carried out, it might robotically require an modification within the APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketplace Committee) laws, the arhtiyas, led via Federation president Vijay Kalra, asserted.

Punjab will get started purchasing wheat from April 10, a lengthen of 10 days owing to surge in Covid circumstances. It continues to be observed how the disagreement between state and Centre shapes up within the coming days. If Centre refuses to transparent the Money Credit score Restrict to Punjab, it is going to imply bother for the farmers of the state.