Farmers and millers had alleged delay in procurement of paddy in the State by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

The Hindu Bureau

A day after the Union government promised seamless procurement of paddy and custom milled rice (CMR) in Punjab, the Consumer Affairs Ministry on Monday (October 28, 2024) launched a portal to address grievances of rice millers.

Farmers and millers had alleged delay in procurement of paddy in the State by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the mobile application FCI Grievance Redressal System (FCI GRS) for rice millers.

The Centre said it was a step to enhance transparency, accountability, and stakeholder’s satisfaction. “The mobile application will facilitate rice millers in addressing their grievances with the FCI in an efficient and transparent manner. The FCI GRS Application is part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to harness technology for good governance,” the Centre said.

It will provide rice millers with a platform to lodge complaints, monitor their status, and receive responses on their mobiles. Once a grievance is received, it will be automatically assigned to the officials concerned in the FCI for further action.

On Sunday (October 27, 2024), talking to reporters, Mr. Joshi said the Centre would ensure seamless procurement of paddy and CMR in Punjab. He said the target of 185 lakh tonne fixed for the current kharif season would be achieved.

“Due to heavy rainfall in September and higher moisture content in paddy, the harvesting and procurement were slightly delayed. However, despite a late start, the State is on track now to achieve its target of procuring 185 LMT of paddy by November,” the Minister said.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha had recently blamed the FCI for space shortage and the paddy procurement crisis. The SKM said the FCI did not lift last year’s paddy stock from the warehouses and mills on time and it was the root cause of the current acute procurement crisis.

“Out of the last year’s stock, around 130 LMT rice stored in the warehouses and rice mills in Punjab is yet to be lifted by the FCI. Warehouses are choked with stock hence, the rice millers are unable to procure this year’s yield due to lack of storage facility,” the SKM said.

Published Date: October 29, 2024