Amarinder meets Paswan, urges food procurement debt review

Ravi Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan and urged him to review the Rs 31,000 crore food procurement debt of the state.                       

Paswan acceded to the request and the matter would be taken up with the Finance Ministry.                       

Paswan has also accepted Singh’s request to allow higher user charges in lieu of deprecation of once-used gunny bags for the forthcoming kharif season.

Singh urged disbursement to the state for the loss incurred by it in making procurements of grains for the Central pool.

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He said the state wanted to be fully geared for the coming kharif season, which is expected to witness a produce of 18.2 million tonnes of rice.

Later, responding to a specific question, Singh said the state police had been directed to take all measures for the upkeep of law and order in the context of the impending court verdict in the Dera Sacha Sauda chief case.                      

He said the Centre had provided the state 75 companies of paramilitary forces.