NOC from arhtiya body must for direct payment transfer

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, September 21

The Haryana State Anaj Mandi Arhtiya Association has agreed to the state government’s decision to empower farmers to choose the mode of direct payment of crops in their bank accounts.

Ashok Gupta, president of the association, said today that interested farmers could enrol themselves with the mandi authorities by September 30 next year.

“A farmer keen to get direct transfer of payment in his bank account will have to submit a no objection certificate (NOC). The local arhtiya association will issue the NOC that the farmer has no pending amount towards commission agents. We agreed to the Chief Minister’s proposal that September next year will be the deadline for farmers on the payment transfer issue and it will not be extended further,” said Gupta.

However, he added there would be hardly any taker of the direct payment as farmers depend upon arhtiyas for financial support.

Gupta had led a delegation of arthiyas to a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh yesterday. He said it was mutually agreed upon at the meeting that payment transfer would be a free option for farmers.

Meanwhile, Gupta denied that the government had put any condition on submitting affidavits by arhtiyas to the district authorities that they would introduce e-trading next year.

“The Chief Minister categorically stated that arhtiyas will continue to use the traditional method of foodgrain trade and digital trading will not be forced upon them. Our stand was clear against e-trading as it is not viable in the existing conditions in the mandis,” said Gupta.