CM Saini announces senior officials in each district to address farmers’ issues

Paddy procurement is progressing smoothly across the state, thanks to electronic weighing machines installed in grain markets, according to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. To ensure smooth procurement, the state government has appointed a senior official in each district to address farmers’ issues in grain markets.

Saini stated that moisture content might be an issue in procurement, but the process would continue smoothly otherwise. “If moisture content is found in the crop, procurement may be halted temporarily,” he added. He also mentioned that work is in progress to install digital weighing machines in mandis, a key demand of farmers.

Regarding former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s demand for a Rs 3,100 bonus for farmers, Saini said, “It’s the opposition’s job to make demands, but they should look at their own record when they were in power.”

He highlighted that during their tenure, farmers suffered heavy losses and received compensation in the form of cheques worth just Rs 2, forcing them to open accounts with Rs 500 to receive the payment.

Saini emphasised that the present government has created an online portal to ensure fair compensation for every loss suffered by farmers. On crop loss compensation, he said that verification is underway for farmers who registered their damage on the e-Kshatipurti portal, and they would receive compensation soon. “The Congress government provided Rs 1,157 crore in compensation over ten years, while the BJP government has already provided over Rs 1,550 crore in the last ten-and-a-half years,” he added.

Saini also mentioned that district administrations have appointed nodal officers to supervise procurement and ensure transparency.