Chhattisgarh Cong holds protests over paddy procurement issues, MNREGA

The opposition party, which also held demonstrations at development blocks on Mahatma Gandhis death anniversary under its MNREGA Bachao Sangram campaign, claimed lakhs of farmers are yet to sell their produce at minimum support price MSP. The state government should extend the procurement deadline by one month and ensure paddy is purchased from all farmers at minimum support price MSP.

The Congress on Friday staged symbolic road blockades at several places across Chhattisgarh demanding an extension of the paddy procurement period scheduled to end on January 31. The opposition party, which also held demonstrations at development blocks on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary under its 'MNREGA Bachao Sangram' campaign, claimed lakhs of farmers are yet to sell their produce at minimum support price (MSP). ''The state government should extend the procurement deadline by one month and ensure paddy is purchased from all farmers at minimum support price (MSP). Paddy procurement period is set to end on January 31, but a large number of farmers have been left out,'' state Congress chief Deepak Baij said. ''More than three lakh farmers have still not been able to sell their paddy, while registration of over 4.7 lakh farmers could not be completed. The BJP government is deliberately creating hurdles so that farmers are forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices to middlemen, thereby avoiding payment at the rate of Rs 3,100 per quintal,'' he alleged. If the procurement period is not extended, farmers will suffer severe financial losses and fall into debt, Baij said. He demanded that online token issuance be resumed, offline token distribution be started at all cooperative societies, and the government ensure procurement of every grain of paddy from farmers at the declared MSP. The Congress leader said previously issued tokens to farmers to sell their paddy were cancelled, leaving thousands of farmers affected. Farmers are angry and protesting, but their grievances are not being addressed, Baij claimed. Under the 'MNREGA Bachao Sangram', the Congress said the Narendra Modi government was weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and attempting to deprive rural workers of their livelihood.

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