Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written a letter to PM Modi looking for early decision. (File)
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has opposed the Centre’s scheme to make a direct on-line fee of the MSP to farmers’ financial institution accounts, bypassing arhtiyas (fee brokers), for the crops to be procured by the federal government from the subsequent Rabi season.
Opposing the Centre’s Direct Financial institution Switch scheme for farmers, Chief Minister Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ask the Union Ministry of Shopper Affairs, Meals and Public Distribution to defer the implementation of the scheme for no less than a 12 months.
Mr Singh mentioned he has written a letter to the Prime Minister looking for early decision of the matter in view of the upcoming Rabi season.
He mentioned he has additionally sought time from Prime Minister Modi for a gathering on the problem, the Punjab authorities mentioned in an official assertion.
“The arhtiyas and farmers have long-standing relations,” mentioned the Punjab CM, questioning the necessity to change the system which, he claimed, was “working very properly”.
“Round 50 per cent farmers give their land on contract, so how will those that until the land get their cash underneath DBT?” the federal government’s official assertion additionally requested, quoting the chief minister.
In his letter, Amarinder Singh drew PM’s consideration to the Union ministry’s instructions, asking the Authorities of Punjab to make sure direct fee to farmers together with on-line submission of the main points of landowners and cultivators.
Opposing the Central scheme which bypasses arhtiyas within the fee of the minimal assist worth to farmers for his or her produce, Chief Minister Singh argued that arhtiyas are licensees underneath the Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act.
For the previous many many years, the state procurement companies and FCI have been procuring foodgrains for the Central Pool, he mentioned.
Claiming “an age-old relation between farmers and arhtiyas in Punjab,” the chief minister mentioned the farmers have by no means complained of non-receipt of MSP fee.
The state authorities is guaranteeing on-line fee to farmers, albeit via these arhtiyas, he mentioned.
The chief minister mentioned the land possession and tenancy points might give rise to numerous avoidable authorized problems, particularly through the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
This, he mentioned, “may additionally trigger avoidable unrest and anguish among the many farmers”.
He famous that bringing the software program according to the proposed instructions shall take appreciable time.
The Punjab chief minister has made the intervention within the wake of Punjab’s arhtiyas affiliation threatening to cease the procurement of wheat from subsequent month as a mark of protest towards the Centre’s scheme of direct switch of MSP to farmers’ account.
The affiliation had claimed that the Centre was taking the step to focus on them for supporting the farmers’ protest. The Centre had earlier instantly issued a letter to get the accounts of farmers for the direct fee and now it’s being finished via FCI.
