Capt seeks raise in moisture content limit in paddy

Wednesday, 03/10/2018

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MOHALI: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said he has requested the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to consider increasing the accepted moisture level for paddy procurement in view of the impact of the recent heavy rains on the crop.

He was replying to a question on the sidelines of the Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana (MGSVY) mega camp here, according to an official release.

The norm for the maximum permissible moisture content in paddy is 17%. Beyond it, the procurement agencies can refuse purchasing crop.

With paddy procurement commencing on October 1, the moisture content in fresh arrivals of paddy at some areas was around 20% which was beyond the permissible limit. However, the arrivals are low as last month rains had delayed harvesting.

The CM also reaffirmed his commitment to the welfare of the farmers and said the farm loan waiver scheme would be completed by this year-end. TOP BABUS TO CHECK STUBBLE BURNING CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government Tuesday deputed 10 senior administrative secretaries to check stubble burning and make people aware about the harmful practice.

The officials have also been asked to review paddy procurement on a daily basis. Kahan Singh Pannu, the nodal officer for the anti-stubble burning campaign, in a release said Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has issued directives to all agencies and officials engaged for this task to ensure seamless operations of paddy procurement.

He said that elaborate arrangements have been made for procuring 200-lakh metric tonnes of paddy in a prompt and hassle-free manner and for ensuring basic amenities to facilitate farmers in mandis.

Pannu said that the CM has asked the senior administrative secretaries to effectively coordinate to contain stubble burning in the districts allotted to them. Additional chief secretary (taxation) MP Singh and secretary (technical education) DK Tiwari will coordinate the campaign in Kapurthala, Jalandhar, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur districts.

Additional chief secretary, (development) Viswajeet Khanna and PWD secretary Hussan Lal will oversee the campaign in Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala and Mansa districts. Additional ahief secretary (sports) Sanjay Kumar and secretary (water supply and sanitation) Jaspreet Talwar will monitor all activities to stop stubble burning in Ludhiana, Moga, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Mohali districts.