A first, govt buying maize at MSP: Haryana CM

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 17

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said all necessary arrangements had been made by the state government to ensure

that the procurement process of kharif crops was done in a smooth and systematic manner.

For the first time, the government is procuring maize at the minimum support price(MSP). Earlier, the purchase of millet was also done at the minimum support price. So far, Rs1,000 crore have been released by the government as the procurement payment for paddy and other crops, he said.

Addressing a press conference at the Haryana Niwas here today, the Chief Minister said all farmers’ crops will be procured. “Farmers of other states will have to get their crops registered before bringing it to the mandis of Haryana, whether it is through arhtiyas or at their own level,” he said.

He said arrangements had been made to make the payment of paddy procurement to the farmers within seven days. After the Form-I is generated and approved, the payment is being made within three days.In reply to a question on the liquor scam, Khattar said there was a link between distilleries and liquor contractors who operated in different states. He said although there was no distillery in Chandigarh, there were many bottling plants, from where the liquor was supplied to other states. He said CCTV cameras had been installed in the distilleries of Haryana and also, there will be joint patrolling by the police and the Excise and Taxation Office.

He said in 2014-15, the excise revenue was Rs 3,200 crore which had increased to Rs 6,400 crore in 2020-21 and it was estimated that it would increase to Rs 7,000 crore. The increase in revenue indicated that the state government had certainly reformed the systems.