Punjab to lose Rs 1,600-cr RDF amid new rules

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 18

Punjab’s rural economy is set to be hit with the Centre once again toughening its stand on the release of Rs 1,600 crore, to be paid to the state for the recently concluded Rabi Marketing Season (RMS).

As the Centre imposed fresh conditions for releasing the money, the state government went into a tizzy, realising the conditions could not be fulfilled.

The Centre, in a communique sent to the state, a copy of which is with The Tribune, has demanded that the state government should match the details of land of each farmer whose produce has been bought with the quantity of produce sold by him, by examining all the J-Forms (these are submitted at the time of grain procurement).

The Centre has also asked the state to take action against farmers, commission agents, officials of procurement agencies, if there is any discrepancy in the two. It is only on compliance of this that the state can expect the Centre to release the Rural Development Fund (RDF), it has been conveyed.

The conditions put by the Centre for release of RDF have to be met before July 31, when the cash credit limit (CCL) for the RMS 2020-21 ends. Officials in the state government told The Tribune that it was impossible to meet these conditions in the coming days, which meant the state would have to forego the Rs 1,600 crore.

“The stand now taken by the Centre smacks of bias against Punjab and their earlier decision of not granting the RDF. As against three per cent RDF, only one per cent was released in the last Kharif Marketing Season. This year’s provisional cost sheet mentioned that no RDF would be given, following which ministers and officers from the state had a round of meetings with the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It was agreed that the state government would get all J-Forms countersigned by sarpanches/ panches/ lambardars. The state got this done for 10 lakh farmers, and now fresh conditions have been imposed,” a senior state government officer told The Tribune.