Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
India

Paddy growers face hardships owing to strike by rice millers: Punjab Congress chief

Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Oct, 2023 01:11 PM
  • Paddy growers face hardships owing to strike by rice millers: Punjab Congress chief

Chandigarh, Oct 18 (IANS) Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday took tour in Patiala district to get first-hand information about the problems faced by paddy growers in the wake of the strike by rice millers across the state.

The farmers lamented about the deterioration of the harvested paddy crop due to the strike.

“The farmers of Punjab have already endured substantial hardships, including the recent floods that afflicted the region. After three-long months, they continue to grapple with adversities,” said Warring.

Assessing the situation at a marketing yard, he said, “Contrary to the claims made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government that paddy procurement is on track, the ground reality is starkly different. The purported progress on paper doesn’t align with the stark reality of paddy crops decaying in mandis.”

The strike by rice millers, protesting against Food Corporation of India (FCI) guidelines, has resulted in approximately 66 per cent of paddy stocks remaining uncollected across the state.

As of October 15, a mere 7.83 lakh tonnes of paddy have been lifted. With the ongoing harvest across the state, a peak in production is expected within a week, further exacerbating the space shortage in mandis for paddy storage.

Addressing the media, Warring said the prevailing situation has left everyone, from the farmers awaiting procurement to the middlemen anticipating the cessation of the strike, in a state of distress.

“The entire state is trapped in this vicious cycle, with the government seemingly focused on unrelated issues. This process typically takes just a month. With the festive season coming up, this predicament will result in the incapacity to celebrate significant festivals like Diwali, given our state’s strong dependence on agriculture for its economy.”

He proposed to the government that until the strike “concludes, why doesn't the government take the initiative to procure the produce and store it in government warehouses? Once the protests subside, the government can then allocate the produce to the rice millers, facilitating the completion of the harvesting process.”

MORE India ARTICLES

Man held at IGI Airport with gold worth over Rs 54 lakh

Man held at IGI Airport with gold worth over Rs 54 lakh
A man was held at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here for smuggling 1,010 gm gold worth Rs 54,25,205, an official said on Wednesday.  The accused couldn't produce any document for carrying such a large quantity of gold.

Man held at IGI Airport with gold worth over Rs 54 lakh

Life threat issued to Yogi, probe on

Life threat issued to Yogi, probe on
Just after receiving the message the police informed senior officials, including ADG, law and order and ADG, intelligence. Amid the Chief Minister's zero tolerance policy for crime and operation bulldozer to demolish criminals' ill-gotten property, the threat has come as a big challenge for security officials.

Life threat issued to Yogi, probe on

First batch of 278 Indians from war-torn Sudan leave for India under Operation 'Kaveri'

First batch of 278 Indians from war-torn Sudan leave for India under Operation 'Kaveri'
The evacuation process named Operation Kaveri, started on April 23, as apart from INS Sumedha, two Indian Air Force aircraft were sent to bring back Indian citizens stuck in Sudan's capital Khartoum, where civil war broke out on April 15 after its army and paramilitary forces clashed with each other. 

First batch of 278 Indians from war-torn Sudan leave for India under Operation 'Kaveri'

Delhi: Nigerians arrested for cheating over 700 victims on matrimonial website

Delhi: Nigerians arrested for cheating over 700 victims on matrimonial website
The accused were identified as Chife Monday (27) and Igwemma Jame (33), both presently residing in Delhi's Nihal Vihar area. Police said that the accused came to India in 2018 and were staying without valid documents.

Delhi: Nigerians arrested for cheating over 700 victims on matrimonial website

Rahul Gandhi moves Gujarat HC for stay on defamation conviction

Rahul Gandhi moves Gujarat HC for stay on defamation conviction
Gandhi, now disqualified as a parliamentarian, was convicted by a magistrate's court on March 23 for his controversial remark, "All thieves have Modi surname," made during a political campaign in Karnataka's Kolar in 2019. 

Rahul Gandhi moves Gujarat HC for stay on defamation conviction

Excise policy scam: Delhi court fixes May 12 to consider CBI's supplementary charge sheet against Sisodia, others

Excise policy scam: Delhi court fixes May 12 to consider CBI's supplementary charge sheet against Sisodia, others
The probe agency also informed the court that Hyderabad-based CA Butchi Babu Gorantla, Arjun Pandey, and Amandeep Singh Dhall were also mentioned as accused in the final report, which also included a list of witnesses and documents that were used as support. 

Excise policy scam: Delhi court fixes May 12 to consider CBI's supplementary charge sheet against Sisodia, others