Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the officials to ensure that paddy farmers get qualitative and quantitative receipts during the procurement of their produce at the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBK), adding that it will help prevent exploitation of ryots by millers.
“Generate a random lottery system so that millers would not know from which RBKs the grains are coming,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy told the officials during a review meeting of the Civil Supplies Department at his camp office on Monday.
Referring to the procurement process, the Chief Minister said that farmers must get the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce. “Millers should have no role in the procurement process. Farmers should be sensitised in the process of procurement and MSP. All RBKs should carry educative posters with phone numbers through which farmers can report irregularities, if any,” said the Chief Minister.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that there should be effective coordination between departments to ensure that RBKs function smoothly.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that 16 departments were being converged. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the officials to prepare an ‘efficient roadmap’ to help farmers.
“We have introduced the family doctor concept. The officials should now think of ‘soil doctor’ concept to ensure that soil health is monitored and farmers are issued soil health cards,” said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He also said that RBKs should eventually become soil clinics. “Soil tests should be done regularly and health cards should be issued to farmers. The RBKs should also issue advisories on fertilizers and crops suitable for various lands,” said the Chief Minister.
He further said that five varieties of tests were being performed at the RBKs including that of soil. He also asked the officials to set up weighing bridges at the RBKs to reduce the dependency on private weighing bridges.
