Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday left for Sohela in Bargarh district on Sunday to award additional input subsidy to the farmers over and above the MSP fixed for paddy.
Keeping the promises to people in mind and serving the interest of farmers, the state government has decided to provide additional input assistance of Rs 800 over and above the MSP of Rs 2300, thus making it to Rs 3100 per quintal.
The Department of Food Supply and Consumer Welfare is holding a mega event at Sohela to be graced by the CM. Elaborate arrangements have been made and thousands of farmers will be participating in the event, official sources said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Minister of Food Supply and Consumer Welfare, Krushna Chandra Patra, Minister of Cooperatives, Pradeep Bal Samanta will be present on the occasion.
At present, while the government procures paddy from farmers during the kharif season by adopting a transparent procedure, the minimum support price is paid directly to their bank accounts within 48 hours.
Tokens are being issued to the registered farmers before the procurement of paddy and basic facilities are being provided to the farmers in every mandi.
Nodal officers have been appointed in each mandi to keep a close watch on the paddy procurement process. In case of any complaint, farmers can directly call 1967 helpline.
Similarly, a task force has been formed in the border districts to ensure that vehicles carrying paddy from outside the state do not enter Odisha’s territorial areas.
In different districts Deputy CM, Ministers, MPs and MLAs will be present. Deputy CM Pravati Parida will be present in Puri, while Minister for Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Rural Development, Rabi Narayan Naik will grace the event in Sambalpur. The dignitaries include Minister for Public Works, Law and Excise, Prithiviraj Harichandan in Khurda, Commerce and Transport, Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena in Ganjam, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Health and Family welfare, Parliamentary Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling in Kalahandi, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Development of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, Minorities and Backward Classes, School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond in Koraput, Housing and Urban Development, Public Enterprises Minister Krishna Chandra Mohapatra in Balasore, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Labour and Employees State Insurance Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in Mayurbhanj, Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, MSME Gokulanand Mallik in Kandhamal, Minister of Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education, Sampad Chandra Swain in Jagatsinghpur, Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Higher Education, Sports and Youth Services Suryawanshi Suraj in Bhadrak.
