Wheat purchase set-up has collapsed in state, says Jakhar

Our Correspondent

Abohar, April 22

Congress Legislative Party Leader Sunil Jakhar has lambasted the state government, saying the wheat purchase management in the state has collapsed.

He showed the copy of a letter that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had sent to the Prime Minister on April 2 seeking Rs717 crore as compensation, besides bonus for rain-hit farmers. He said the Centre had excluded the state while relaxing wheat buying norms. It has decided to send a committee before taking a decision on the CM’s request. By the time the exercise is completed, farmers would have sold wheat below the MSP, he said.

He claimed that surveys by the Agriculture Department and other agencies indicated that wheat over 2.60 lakh hectares had been damaged resulting in loss of Rs 1,885 crore. Jakhar said the state government had not been able to finalise arrangements for bags, lifting and unloading. Even the allocation of purchase centres to the government agencies were yet to be finalised. He accused the SAD-BJP government in the state and the NDA for “cheating” farmers.