The Government of India has accepted Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s request for relaxation in wheat specification for procurement in the current season, on account of luster loss due to unseasonal rains.
The Chief Minister had earlier this week written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to ease the norms for procurement in view of the losses incurred by the farmers in their wheat crop due to the rainfall.
Responding to the request, the central government has decided to procure wheat in the state with relaxation on provisional basis in the uniform specifications of the crop during the Rabi Marketing Season 2019-20. The relaxation comes into immediate effect, and will remain till final analysis report of joint team is received.
Disclosing this here, a spokesperson of the Food and Civil Supplies Department said that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food & Public Distribution, GoI, had conveyed its decision to the State Food and Civil Supplies Department. It had been decided by the central government to allow purchase of luster lost wheat containing up to 10 percent kernels without any value cut. The Ministry has also allowed percentage relaxation in luster lost wheat on district wise basis by allowing percentage of relaxation up to 50% in the districts of Bathinda, Faridkot, Mukhtsar and Ferozepur, while relaxation percentage up to 75 percent has been allowed in the Fazilka and Hoshiarpur districts.
Luster lost wheat containing more than 10 percent and up to 75 percent affected kernels may be purchased with 1/4th of one value cut on flat basis. The wheat so procured would be stacked and accounted for separately. Wheat stocks procured under relaxed specification would be liquidated on overriding priority basis, according to the spokesperson.
