Chandrapur: Guardian minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday directed officials to file criminal cases against farmers and traders trying to illegally sell paddy harvest from neighbouring states in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.
The directives came in the wake of multiple complaints cropping up about farmers and traders bringing the harvest from neighbouring states to procurement centres in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts to earn hefty bonus of Rs700 announced for paddy farmers in the state.
Wadettiwar held a meeting with senior administrative officials and those involved in paddy and cotton procurement and issued the directives on Friday.
“Maharashtra government has announced bonus of Rs700 per quintal for paddy farmers in the state. The decision was taken following heavy losses suffered by the farmers in eastern Vidarbha due to heavy rainfall and subsequent floods during the last monsoon. Because of this, farmers are getting the Rs700 bonus in addition to minimum support price (MSP) of Rs1,800 per quintal,” he said.
Wadettiwar claimed that some farmers, in connivance with growers and traders from neighbouring states, are bringing their inferior quality paddy harvest illegally too procurement centres in the bordering districts of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli to get the extra earning. The minister told the officials not to tolerate such illegal practice and file offences against such people.