Bhubaneswar: In a bid to safeguard Odisha’s agricultural and procurement interests, Minister for Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, and Science & Technology, Krushna Chandra Patra is on a three-day official visit to Delhi. As part of his engagements, he met Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and New & Renewable Energy, Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Minister Patra urged the Centre to increase the paddy procurement target for Odisha. He also raised key issues concerning delays in lifting rice stocks by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and pending dues owed to the state for previous paddy and rice procurement seasons. Union Minister Joshi assured full cooperation and prompt resolution of the state’s concerns.
Minister Patra also held discussions with other top officials during his Delhi visit, including Delhi Food Minister, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shaktikanta Das, and other senior bureaucrats, to advance Odisha’s interests in food distribution and scientific development.
He was accompanied by K. Sudarshan Chakraborty, Managing Director of the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation, along with other senior department officials.
