Digging in his heels for a protracted battle with Centre on the difficulty of paying the MSP straight into farmers’ accounts, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh Thursday refused to implement the brand new system that seeks to bypass the arhtiyas or the fee brokers. Assuring them of full assist, he mentioned his authorities will proceed with the older system of funds to farmers by means of arhtiyas.
Amarinder gave the reassurance whereas a gathering of arhtiyas, authorities officers and Food Minister, Bharat Bhushan Ashu. He instructed the arhtiyas, who met him below the banner of the Federation of Arhtiya Association of Punjab, that he’ll search an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to debate the difficulty. Stating that he doesn’t not suppose that he’ll “get an appointment”, Amarinder mentioned he’ll write a letter to the PM asking him to rethink the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, ship him a replica of state’s APMC Act and in addition a replica of the judgment of Punjab and Haryana High Court on the difficulty of cost to farmers for foodgrains procurement.
“My doors are open for you,” the CM instructed the ‘arhtiyas.
Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on March 27 had written to the Punjab authorities, asking it to implement the direct cost of the minimal assist worth (MSP) to farmers.
“The CM said he will send the PM the copy of the rules and ask him to read the Act that provided for payment to the arhtiyas and not directly to the farmers. Also, there is a HC judgement of April 2013 on the issue,” Ashu instructed The Indian Express after the assembly.
In 2013, the excessive courtroom had directed “ to get instructions as to whether in the process of sale of agricultural produce, where a commission agent (kacha arhtiya) certifies that the farmer does not owe anything to him/her,the amount of sale shall be directly disbursed by the buyer to the farmer/seller through account payee cheque within 3 days from the purchase of the produce and if kacha arhtia certifies that a particular amount is due to him from the farmer, to that extent the cheque, after sale, will be issued in the name of the kacha arhtia and for rest of the produce sold, the cheque will directly go to the farmer. In both the cases, the kacha arhtia will get his commission through cheque from the buyer”.
Punjab has been paying cheques on to the arhtiyas. The earlier SAD-BJP authorities had requested the farmers in the event that they wished direct cash switch. At that point, just a few farmers had volunteered for a similar.
Ashu added that when the APMC Act supplied for the cost to the arhtiyas, the Centre couldn’t overrule them. “This is an infringement on state’s rights,” he mentioned.
A authorities assertion issued after the assembly mentioned that Amarinder assured the arhtiyas that they’d stay an integral a part of the procurement system within the state. He mentioned his authorities would proceed to face with them and battle for them in opposition to the central authorities’s transfer “to destroy the established system” of creating funds to farmers by means of them.
He additionally directed the involved division to launch the pending Rs.131 crore of the arhtiyas, due from the state authorities.
Amarinder instructed the arhtiyas that he has been in search of time to fulfill PM, who, he mentioned, seemed to be busy with election campaigns in numerous states. He instructed ‘arhtiyas’ that although he didn’t anticipate the PM to provide him time to fulfill on the DBT subject, he and his authorities would maintain writing to the central authorities and knocking on its door on the difficulty.
The CM mentioned that he had already written to the PM on March 19, and had additionally spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who, he claimed, has assured him of all assist in the matter. Ashu too had met Shah to debate the difficulty, he added.
At the assembly, the Federation of Arhtiya Association of Punjab accused Haryana of “betraying” them by accepting the DBT proposal of the central authorities. They described Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and PM Modi as two sides of the identical coin. “But we have faith in you,” the federation instructed Amarinder.
Amarinder mentioned the Punjab farmers share a long-standing and time-tested relations with arhtiyas, whom, he described as “the backbone of the successful procurement system in the state”.
Besides continuance of the prevailing system of cost to farmers by means of them, the arhtiyas are demanding clearance of all dues from the Food Corporation of India. They are additionally against the proposed linking of land data with farmers’ produce being dropped at mandis (grain markets), claiming that there isn’t a provision within the present APMC Act or Rules to permit it. In case it’s to be carried out, it will mechanically require an modification within the APMC (Agriculture Produce Market Committee) guidelines, the arhtiyas, led by Federation president Vijay Kalra, asserted.
Punjab will begin procuring wheat from April 10, a delay of 10 days owing to surge in Covid instances. It stays to be seen how the confrontation between state and Centre shapes up within the coming days. If Centre refuses to clear the Cash Credit Limit to Punjab, it could imply hassle for the farmers of the state.
