Punjab LoP Partap Singh Bajwa for unconditional paddy crop procurement this season

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa took on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state government, demanding immediate and unconditional procurement of the paddy crop, especially in the wake of widespread flood devastation and relentless rain across Punjab.

Bajwa firmly stated that the government’s insistence on the standard moisture level requirement of 17 per cent was not only impractical under the current circumstances but also cruelly indifferent to the suffering of the state’s farmers. He pointed out that nine districts had been severely impacted by floods, while heavy rains had left paddy fields waterlogged in the rest of the state, making it virtually impossible for farmers to meet moisture standards through no fault of their own.

“The situation demands sensitivity, not bureaucracy,” Bajwa said, urging the state government to procure the paddy crop without any preconditions, including those related to moisture content. He also recalled the serious allegations from the 2024 paddy procurement season when, according to him, farmers were forced to sell their produce at distress prices, resulting in a massive scam worth Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore. Despite raising the issue in the Assembly, the matter was brushed under the carpet and no proper investigation was initiated, he said. With over 4.30 lakh acres of standing crops already destroyed in floods, Bajwa called on the Bhagwant Mann government to rise above red tape and act in the interest of the farming community. If needed, he suggested, the matter should be escalated to the Union Government to ensure relief and fair treatment for the state’s beleaguered farmers.