Bhubaneswar: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, has stressed on making paddy procurement process more transparent and simple. Third party audit of paddy procurement process will be conducted to ensure its transparent and corruption-free.
According to an official press release, a meeting on procurement preparations was held at the conference hall of Lok Seva Bhavan on Monday chaired by Singh Deo, was attended by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samant, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and Principal Secretaries and Commissioner-cum-Secretaries from other relevant departments.
To ensure transparency and make the paddy procurement process free from corruption, it was decided to conduct a third-party audit. Farmers can call the toll-free number 1967 for information or to report any issues they face. This year, a call center with 30 additional seats has been set up, operated by the Civil Supplies Corporation.
A tender notification has been issued for the transportation of paddy from mandis to mills. Farmers will be informed through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns, and guidelines related to paddy procurement will be displayed at every mandi and fair-price shop. Helpful guidelines will also be sent to farmers via SMS within the next two to three days.
The inspection system will be strengthened to eliminate middlemen in the paddy procurement process, with strict actions planned against violators.
District-level procurement committees will directly monitor procurement at both village and district levels. Additionally, the meeting addressed the concerns and requirements of millers involved in the process.
