Chandigarh, April 29:
The Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak, today directed the State Procurement Agencies to immediately expedite lifting in the Mandis after FCI issued guidelines for conditional acceptance of direct delivery from the Mandis.
Sharing these details, a spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that yesterday evening FCI issued guidelines for acceptance of wheat which had already been procured by the State Agencies in anticipation of relaxation in norms for shrivelled grains. The acceptance of wheat shall be subject to the final decision of the Government of India in this regard, he said.
It is worthwhile to mention that the wheat grain had become shrivelled due to an extreme heat wave that descended on the state in the months of March and April. The State Government had, accordingly, written to the Government of India to relax the specifications of shrivelled wheat beyond the current permissible limit of 6% so that the crop could be purchased and the farmers would not be penalised for reasons beyond their control.
