Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, strongly criticized the Punjab government for its failure in wheat procurement. He accused the state administration of negligence, mismanagement, and mistreatment of farmers and laborers. Despite the Centre’s efforts to facilitate procurement, Bittu highlighted the Punjab government’s incompetence and lack of support for farmers.
Bittu emphasized that the Centre had allocated a significant cash credit limit of Rs 30,973 crore for Punjab and made all necessary arrangements for smooth procurement. However, farmers continue to face challenges, with their produce unattended in ‘mandis’ and laborers suffering due to the state government’s shortcomings. The Union government even relaxed quality specifications to prevent farmer losses.
The Minister questioned why wheat procurement was delayed when the Centre had provided support, including storage space, relaxed norms, and financial assistance. He commended the efforts of the FCI and Indian Railways in clearing foodgrain stocks to create storage space, ensuring efficient operations. Bittu also raised concerns about power cuts affecting ‘mandi’ operations and urged immediate action from the Chief Minister to address the crisis.
