Odisha Govt Begins Online Token System For Paddy Procurement From Farmers

Bhubaneswar: In the wake of state-wide protest by farmers’ bodies against the new online token system for procurement of paddy, the Odisha government on Monday said that the list of registered farmers provided with online tokens is available in the offices of the Regional Cooperative Marketing Society (RCMS) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

Making a statement in the State Assembly, Food Supplies and  Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said that the state government has done away with the manual token system for farmers for the procurement of paddy from this year.

He said RCM secretaries are providing the name of the registered farmers who have harvested paddy. Their names are in a computerised list and a date has been fixed for for the procurement of their paddy.

The minister also assured that the farmers, who fail to sell their paddy on the given day, will be given another opportunity.

Besides, appropriate action will be taken against the millers if they are found purchasing paddy at a lower rate, he added.

However, the minister remained silent on the promises made by the Labour & Employees’ State Insurance and Rural Development Minister Sushanta Singh and BJD Redhakhol MLA Rohit Pujari to the farmers of Sambalpur and Bargarh districts that the government will procure their paddy even without the online token.