Purchase crops directly from farmers in villages, Haryana CM tells officers

Chandigarh, April 22 (IANS) In yet another major pro-farmer decision, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday directed officers to purchase crops from farmers in villages where consolidation has not yet been completed, through an offline medium rather than the Meri Fasal-Mera Byora portal.

The Chief Minister issued this direction while presiding over a review meeting of the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department here.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of State for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Rajesh Nagar.

CM Saini emphasised that the government remains committed to supporting farmers and ensuring they do not face any hardships.

He said that in villages where consolidation had not been completed, farmers were facing difficulties in selling their crops due to the lack of relevant data on the Meri Fasal-Mera Byora portal.

To address this issue, the government has decided to facilitate crop procurement through an offline medium in these villages instead of the portal, he added.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister was informed that 17.40 lakh women had registered under the Har Ghar-Har Grihini Yojana.

The Chief Minister instructed officers to verify the data of the Ujjwala Scheme beneficiaries and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families through door-to-door checks.

He also directed gas companies to set up camps at depots to assist consumers with LPG cylinder distribution.

He reiterated that BPL families would continue to receive LPG cylinders at the subsidised price of Rs 500.

Meanwhile, CM Saini has sought exemption from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 10 agricultural implements used in crop residue management.

In a missive to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan last month, he said that stubble burning has become a major issue, adversely impacting the health of the people, but the state’s farmers are adopting advanced technologies and utilising the latest agricultural implements for crop residue management.

--IANS

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