Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Punjab Minister Kataruchak reviews wheat procurement progress, urges timely payments
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, April 11, 2025: Lal Chand Kataruchak, Punjab's Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister, reviewed the ongoing wheat procurement operations and the e-KYC status of NFSA beneficiaries during a meeting held at Raj Bhawan today.
The Minister emphasized that the State Government, under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, has made arrangements to procure 130 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat at Minimum Support Price (MSP), ensuring that no farmer’s produce goes unsold in the mandis.
To ensure smooth procurement, 1,864 regular purchase centers and 520 additional centers have been set up across the state.The procurement agencies have been equipped with necessary logistics, including storage space, gunny bags, stock materials, and Cash Credit Limit (CCL).
So far, wheat arrivals have been reported in 11 districts, totaling 9,601.5 MT, with 3,278.75 MT procured by government agencies and 927.5 MT by private traders.The Minister directed agencies to ensure timely payments to farmers and quick lifting of procured stock to avoid congestion in mandis.
Kataruchak also instructed all field officers to complete 100% e-KYC of National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries by April 30, 2025 to ensure transparency and accuracy in the public distribution system.
Senior officials, including Principal Secretary Rahul Tewari, Secretary Varinder Kumar Sharma, and other department heads were present during the review meeting.