Central Government Buys One Lakh Tonnes Of Paddy At MSP

Central government buys one lakh tonnes of paddy at MSP, procured from Punjab and Haryana. The central government said on Thursday that it has procured 1,04,417 tonnes of paddy from Punjab and Haryana at the minimum support price (MSP) in the last five days.

By releasing the purchase data on a daily basis, the central government wants to tell the farmers who are protesting against the new agricultural laws that they have no intention of ending the MSP.

In a statement, the Union Agriculture Ministry said that about 91,005 tonnes from Punjab and 13,412 tonnes from Haryana have been purchased till September 30 at Rs 1,888 per quintal MSP.

According to the statement, under the MSP, paddy worth Rs 197 crore has been purchased from 8,059 farmers in Haryana and Punjab. Paddy procurement started from September 26 in Punjab and Haryana and September 28 in the remaining states.

For the current year, the government has fixed MSP of Rs 1,868 per quintal for common grade paddy, while for A-grade variety, it has been fixed at Rs 1,888 per quintal.

In addition, under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), the government through its nodal agencies has so far purchased 46.35 tonnes of moong worth 33 lakh rupees at the rate of MSP in Tamil Nadu.

The ministry said that it has approved the purchase of 14.09 lakh tonnes of Kharif pulses and oilseeds from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Haryana.

Meanwhile, in protest against the new agricultural laws, the Kisan March started by the Akali Dal on three placards in Punjab on Thursday morning was stopped by the Chandigarh Police on the Punjab-Chandigarh border.

Chandigarh Police took former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal into custody. She was staging a sit-in at the Zirakpur border due to a lack of entry in Chandigarh.

When she was detained, Akali workers were infuriated and broke the barricade. After which the police lightly charged them. Apart from Harsimrat, Parambans Singh Romana, head of Youth Akali Dal, was also detained by the police.

Till late night, the situation on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur border and the Chandigarh-Mullanpur border remained tense. Now the politics of Punjab heats up with lathi-charge.