Periodic meetings are held to monitor rice purchasing: Center to HC

The Center on Tuesday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that periodic meetings are being held between central government agencies and the state to monitor rice procurement.

Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain informed the Supreme Court of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal that a two-pronged strategy is being adopted to address the problem of shortage of storage in Punjab, which will require additional transportation of food grains from the region takes place. is planned and priority is being given to creating new storage capacity.

The information was given during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Sunpreet, seeking purchase of paddy with immediate effect and to provide space for storage of milled rice procured during this season .

The Center also said that several high-level meetings have been held with the Punjab government and follow-up actions are being taken as a priority to ensure that adequate storage arrangements are in place for the Custom Milled Rice (CMR).

A high-level committee headed by the Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and officials of the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution monitor the movement of rice from Punjab on a weekly basis. Jain told the court adding that there are follow-up meetings. is held every Thursday and of FCI’s all-India movement plan of 34.75 LMT for the month of October, about 40% has been allocated to Punjab.

The HC was also told that the next meeting would be held on October 31 and all issues would be resolved.

In view of this, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea stating that the issue raised is more related to market forces and depends on various variable factors, which change day by day and essentially relates to policy decisions between the Central Government and the state government. “We hope and expect that the central government and the state government will sit at the same table and resolve the dispute at the earliest,” the court noted while dismissing the PIL.