Rajasthan govt to submit representation for non supply of wheat

Jaipur, Apr 27 (UNI) The Rajasthan Government today said it will submit representation before the Centre for non supply of wheat to the state, if it failed to realise wheat procurement targets during the current season.

Talking to UNI, State Food and Civil Supply Minister Kirodi Lal Meena said the Centre's food and public distribution department had sent a letter to the State Chief Secretary Anil Vaish to convey its inability for supply of wheat for distribution to poor people through the Public Distribution System (PDS), if the wheat procurement targets are not realised in the State.

Mr Meena said that this was not appropriate on the part of the Centre to take such ''anti-poor'' stand. He said that ''wrong policies'' of the Central Government were responsible for non realisation of procurement targets.

He also said foreign companies and domestic private buyers had already purchased wheat on higher prices in the state and it was the Centre who was supposed to prevent foreign and other external buyers to enter in market competition.

''Wrong policies of the Centre were encouraging foreign companies and other buyers to operate in our market and the fallout of the wrong policies should not be directed up on poor masses,'' he added.

He said state government had already explained the reasons for poor procurement in the state and would write again to ensure wheat supply for PDS schemes.

Meanwhile, the state had been making all out efforts to boost the procurement process and achieve the target mark of two lakh metric tonnes, Mr Meena added.

However, the realisation of target seems to be unlikely as only 32,477 metric tonnes of wheat has so far been procured in the State till April 24.

A total of 175 procurement centres had been set up for the purpose.

In a bid to draw more and more farmers at the procurement centres the state government had also ordered NAFED and RAJFED to stop its wheat purchase in the open market, Mr Meena said.

Last year too the procurement process was a total failure in the state as only 1,582 metric tonnes of wheat was procured in the state last year.

UNI