DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted for ensuring the seamless and hassle free procurement of Wheat and Paddy today held a comprehensive meeting with the rice Millers of Punjab with a view to allay their concerns and give a patient hearing to their issues.

The Chairman of the Group of Ministers, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is proactively making comprehensive arrangements to ensure a seamless Kharif procurement season. As sowing has commenced, the state administration is working diligently to address the concerns and demands of millers and other stakeholders, while taking into account their requirements and demands to facilitate a smooth procurement operations in the state.

The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak during interaction with the mediapersons said that the millers are appreciative of the fact that the State Government has begun preparations many months in advance about upcoming Paddy procurement season. He also stated that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is painstakingly working to resolve all the issues pertaining to the millers and is scheduled to meet the Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi over the matters which are in the domain of the Union Government.

Assuring all the stakeholders viz. Farmers, Rice Millers, Arhtiyas and the Labourers of protecting their interests, the Minister divulged that the Punjab Government is committed to fulfill their justified demands. On the movement of foodgrains from the State to ensure storage space, Mr. Kataruchak added that till now, 105 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of foodgrains has been moved out.

The Transport and Jails Minister Mr. Laljit Singh Bhullar assured that the Punjab Government said that the rice millers form the backbone of the procurement process and the State Government is formulating every step taking their welfare into active consideration. The Water Resources Minister Mr. Barinder Kumar Goyal said that the Punjab Government stands shoulder to shoulder with all the stakeholders in their every hour of need and views them as active partners not just in the procurement process but in the overall development

of Punjab.

(editor@dailyworld.in)