BJP slams Punjab govt over ' tardy' paddy purchase

Chandigarh, Oct 12 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday lashed out at the Punjab government over alleged tardy paddy procurement and said the AAP dispensation was responsible for problems being faced by farmers in grain markets.
    Punjab BJP vice president Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa said the Centre has already disbursed funds to the state government for the purchase of paddy.
    "If the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab is not able to purchase and lift the crops smoothly, then the fault lies with the state government and not the Centre," he said.
    Talking about the PR-126 variety of paddy, the BJP leader claimed rice millers are staring at losses because of lower out-turn ratio (post-milling yield).
    Farmers sowed the PR-126 variety at the instance of the Mann government, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa said.
    "Rice millers have been demanding compensation for their losses from the Punjab government but it is ignoring them," he said.
    Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also slammed the AAP government, alleging "gross mismanagement" of the agricultural sector.
    He said Punjab's agrarian economy is "teetering on the brink of collapse".
    He criticised the AAP government's alleged lack of preparedness to manage the paddy procurement process, highlighting the severe challenges faced by rice millers.
    He pointed out that despite the state's target of procuring 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, only 5 per cent of the necessary storage capacity for custom milled rice (CMR) is available, leaving millers in an untenable situation.
    Meanwhile, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) announced that its members would squat on rail tracks in Punjab on Sunday to protest the "delay" in paddy procurement in the state.
    BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said the protest will be held from 12 pm to 3 pm.
    The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had announced on Friday that it would block roads in Punjab from 12 pm to 3 pm against the slow paddy procurement.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)