Arhtiya system to stay: CM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 7

A meeting of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with members of Federation of Arhtiyas led by Vijay Kalra was held here today. Hundreds of commission agents, who had arrived here to sort out the issue later, assured the Chief Minister that they were now ready to implement the PMFS.

They expressed apprehensions that the Centre was trying to push the arhtiyas out of the procurement system, and in turn stop the age-old practice of borrowing and lending between farmers and agents. Allaying their fears, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh ruled out their exclusion from the procurement process and reiterated that no changes would be made in the APMC Act, while assuring them of his government’s full support in the smooth implementation of the PFMS.

He also said the income of farmers in Punjab had increased by 32 per cent since his government took over and the commission paid to agents too had increased by Rs 744 crore. “My government will make sure that payments to farmers are made only through the agents, who have ensured a smooth procurement in the past five marketing seasons,” he said.

The arhtiyas also demanded that a new transport policy (for transpotrting grain from mandis) be brought to curb the menace of politically powerful transport unions, which was agreed upon by the Food and Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.