Bhubaneswar, Oct 16 (IANS): Ministers in Odisha will be appointed as observers to supervise the procurement of Kharif paddy across the state. The decision was taken during a review meeting headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held at Lok Seva Bhawan here on Tuesday.

“For the first time, Rs 800 is being given in addition to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy. Hence, the farmers are upbeat about this. So, each minister is to carry out the responsibility of observers for one or two districts to ensure that the procurement of paddy is completely transparent,” the Chief Minister said.

“They will act as a one-point contact for the government. If the ministers visit different districts and mandis and solve the problems of farmers by listening to them, the common men will be able to feel the sincerity of the government,” he further added.

He also advised all the concerned departments and district collectors to work in tandem.

He noted that 83.16 per cent of the total registered farmers are small farmers. The Chief Minister stressed that it is the responsibility of the district collectors to ensure that the small farmers will be able to sell their paddy without any difficulty. He advised the District Collectors to give priority to small farmers during the procurement of paddy.

He also asked the collectors to extend the period of the tokens given to small farmers, if necessary. He advised the authorities to carry out a massive awareness campaign through special WhatsApp groups and other mediums so that the farmers can bring only Fair Average Quality (FAQ) paddy to the mandi to avoid the ‘Katni Chhatni’ during procurement.

The Chief Minister has directed to maintain complete transparency in the FAQ examination. He asked the District Collectors to hold the Management Officers in Mandi accountable for the quality of paddy.

It was also decided to appoint an official for proper management of the Mandis. Similarly, a supervisor will be engaged to oversee operations in four to five Mandis. The operations in the Mandis will be monitored through the central Dashboard.

The Collectors of border districts have been asked to deploy Enforcement Squads at various places near the border to check the farmers from neighbouring states from selling paddy in Odisha due to enhancement in paddy price. They have been asked to keep a strict vigil on roads connecting to neighbouring states through CCTV cameras.

Similarly, Automatic Grain Analysers will be installed in 200 big Mandis and manual Grain Analysers will be installed in small mandis to assess the quality of paddy. A Quality Analyst and Quality Supervisor will be appointed at every paddy procurement centre to examine and certify the paddy.

The district Collectors, cooperative department, supply department, and agriculture department officials have been directed to modernise the yards. The state government has earmarked Rs 550 crore for this modernisation of the yards.