Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will start the procurement of kharif paddy at a mandi in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
This was revealed by Deputy Chief Minister while speaking to media persons in Bhubaneswar on Monday. He said a mandi would be opened at Sohela of Bargarh district where the season’s paddy procurement would start on Wednesday.
The chief minister would go to the mandi in a huge procession and open the mandi for paddy procurement, he added.
Singhdeo said the process of providing slips to the farmers, who would sell their produce in the mandi has been completed. In order to ensure transparency in the procurement, one slip was issued to the farmer and another retained by the government, he added.
On the allegation of irrational “katni chhatni” (deducting an amount from bad produce), the deputy chief minister said the procurement officials had been strictly directed to be very careful in this regard. However, only a marginal amount would be deducted in case of the low FAQ or high moisture content of the paddy, he added.
