Early Times Report
RAJOURI, Nov 20: Minister of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Choudhary Zulfkar Ali Sunday inaugurated the maiden Maize Procurement Mandi at Siot in district Rajouri. It is the first Mandi of its kind in the entire North India.
Felicitating the people of the area for getting the Mandi, the Minister said setting up of Maize Procurement Mandi at Siot would not only save the people of the area from the exploitation they faced through middlemen but it will also help transform the socio-economic profile of the area.
He said the first maize procurement mandi is being established in Rajouri district as the area holds the distinction of producing highest quantity of maize in the entire State.
The Minister said that the maize would be procured at the Mandi at "Minimum Support Price (MSP)", fixed by the Government of India. He said the Government has set a target of 2000 metric tons of maize to be procured in the State this year. He added the money would be directly transferred into the bank accounts of the seller to do away with the role of the middlemen. He said the farmers will get competitive returns on their produce and save them from making distress sale of the same.
Member Legislative Assembly (MLA), Ravinder Raina, Member Legislative Council (MLC) Surinder Choudhary, Director FCS&CA G S Chib, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, General Manager Food Corporation of India (FCI) Kishore Kumar, Vice-Chairman Kissan Welfare Board Daljeet Singh Chib were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.
Congratulating the Minister as well as the people of the area on the occasion, Member Legislative Assembly (MLA), Ravinder Raina, said that having a maize procurement mandi was like a dream realized for the people in the area. |
