Ludhiana: Punjab's revenue and rehabilitation minister, Hardeep Singh Mundian, launched a scathing attack on the central govt on Tuesday, accusing it of creating hurdles in the state’s paddy procurement process.
Speaking at the Sahnewal grain market after flagging off trucks to transport paddy, Mundian accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration of enacting policies that had disrupted procurement operations.He charged the central govt with also neglecting Punjab’s pleas, despite chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s repeated meetings with Union ministers and written requests to address the state’s storage issues.
Mundian claimed that the Union govt’s failure to shift existing stock to make room for new arrivals was a deliberate attempt to obstruct the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt’s efforts to assist farmers. He further criticised what he described as a “step-motherly treatment” towards Punjab, which he said continued to be overlooked by the current administration.
Despite the challenges, Mundian reassured farmers, millers, and commission agents that the AAP govt of CM Mann was committed to expediting the lifting process and ensuring that paddy procurement proceeded without any hindrances. He added that the operations had commenced already and would gain momentum in the coming days.
In a subsequent meeting with officials from the mandi board and the state’s food and civil supplies department, Mundian reviewed the ongoing procurement process and assured the farmers that arrangements were in place to lift every grain of paddy, promising no delays in the process.