Capt cries foul over distress sale of wheat

Wednesday, 22/04/2015

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Chandigarh: Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday blamed the SAD-BJP government in Punjab for the distress sale of wheat by the farmers as the state agencies had failed to procure the produce on time. He warned that the farmers would be forced to come out on roads and it will be difficult for the government to control the situation.

“It is double whammy for farmers as on the one hand they faced heavy losses to their crops due to bad weather and now they are being forced to go for distress sale,” Capt Amarinder said in a statement issued here.

“Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal neither has a will nor any intent to look for the welfare of the farmers,” he alleged, while adding, otherwise it should not be a big problem to make timely payment to the farmers.

“And why should state agencies not buy the wheat on time?” he asked, while pointing out, during his government, it was ensured that the farmers were paid for their produce within 24 hours come what may. “It only needs concern and better planning, both of which the SAD-BJP government lacks,” he added.

HC issues notice to Centre, FCI, Punjab, 5 state agencies     

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to Union of India, Punjab government, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and five grain procurement and storage agencies of the state on a petition seeking prohibition against the practice of storing food grains in open godowns, which is resulting into colossal damage to food grains. The Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justice Satish Kumar Mittal and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu issued notice to these authorities including Pungrain, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, Markfed, Punsup and Punjab Agro Food Corporation for May 26. The Division Bench asked the respondents to ensure effective initiatives in this regard before the next hearing of the case otherwise, it may dictate strict order.

The Division Bench orally observed that people were starving one side while the other hand, food grain was getting damaged due to negligence of the agencies concerning to procurement and storage of food grains. “In a country where admittedly people are starving, it is crime to waste even a single grain. All out efforts should be made by the Government to ensure that not even a single grain is wasted,” the Bench said. An affidavit was also submitted by the Pungrain Managing Director stating that they had already set up a committee, which had issued requisite guidelines on this issue. The affidavit further states that the Punjab has the shortage of 100 lakh metric tonnes covered godowns. While the FCI submitted that it is creating additional capacity for storage of 20 thousand MTs in silos at six towns in Punjab.

While another reply was filed by Director General, Food and Supplies Department, stating that the state government was short of required storage capacity by 22 lakh MTs, and therefore, in the light of instructions issued by FCI and the Central Government, extra wheat stocks have to be stored in the open. Such stocks which are stored in open cannot be disposed well within time, due to lesser demand by the deficit States. This period stipulated by FCI requires to be increased to six months, with further grace period up to two months, at the discretion of state agency, said Haryana government. A public interest litigation had been filed by Bajeet Singh of Guru Har Sahai.DP