Badal exempts RDF payment on Basmati rice exports in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 13 (PTI) In a relief to the Basmati riceexporters, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal todayexempted Rural Development Fund (RDF) payment on the export ofBasmati rice.

A decision to this effect was taken by Badal in a meetingwith the delegation of Punjab Rice Millers ExportersAssociation, led by its President Rajeev Setia here at theChief Minister''s residence, according to an official releasehere.

Setia on behalf of the entire rice exporting industryof the state expressed gratitude to Badal for conceding theirlong pending demand, which he said would certainly boost theexport of rice from the state.

The delegation apprised Badal that the Association hadtaken a major initiative with the active support of PunjabAgriculture Department to diversify from the traditionalvarieties of rice to Basmati rice, which had helped to arrestthe declining water table and save precious resources.

In another meeting with the delegation of PunjabAgricultural University Students Association, Badal assuredthat nearly 300 posts of Agriculture Development Officers andHorticulture Development Officers would be filled soon in aphased manner.

He also directed the Agriculture Department toimmediately initiate the process of recruitment for theseposts in a fair and transparent manner.