Badal exhorts Ahartia community to work in unison with agencies for smooth paddy procurement

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called upon the entire Ahartia community to cooperate and work in unison with the State Government and its procurement agencies for the smooth paddy procurement operation in the state for the Kharif season 2010-11 to begin from October 1, 2010 to facilitate the farmers of Punjab.

Badal was addressing a function of Punjab Ahartia Association, here at Kisan Bhawan on Tuesday. 

Congratulating Ravinder Singh Cheema for his unanimous election as president of the association for the third consecutive term, Badal said that the state government had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth lifting and timely payments of paddy. 

He said that procuring agencies had already geared up their activities in their respective areas and he had directed the officers to closely monitor the procurement operations in all the districts and regularly visit their assigned districts till the entire exercise was completed.

Badal said that the relations between Ahartias and the farmers had age old tieseven far above the monetary considerations. The state government was fully committed for the welfare of both Farmers and the Aartias, added Badal.

Presiding over a meeting to redress the grievances of Ahartia Community just after this short function,  Badal assured them that all the issues pertaining to the allotment of the shops in Mandis, VAT, market fee, delayed payments, pending bonus and other issues would be sorted out on priority. 

For the quick redressal of these issues Badal directed the officers of different departments and the MDs of various agencies on the spot.