· ASKS FARMERS TO DOWNLOAD MANDI BOARD’s ‘e-PMB’ MOBILE APP TO SEEK LATEST INFO OF PADDY PROCUREMENT & e-PASSES AMID COVID-19
· PASSES ISSUED TO FARMERS FOR BRINGING PADDY TO MANDIS IN A STAGGERED MANNER
CHANDIGARH: With a view to facilitating farmers and Arthiyas during Kharif Marketing Season which began today throughout the state, the Mandi Board Chairman Lal Singh said that the State Control Room has been setup at Mandi Board Headquarters in Mohali for all 22 districts to promptly address the issues of farmers and arhtiyas during procurement operations in the wake of COVID-19 and has also issued passes to farmers for bringing paddy in a staggered manner to the mandis.
Reiterating Captain Amarinder Singh Government’s resolve to procure every single grain of the farmers produce, Lal Singh said that all necessary health protocol as well as social distancing measures would be followed in the right earnest to keep the spread of Coronavirus under check. He said that requisite elaborate arrangements including availability of sanitizer, mask, hand wash, drinking water facilities have been put in place and necessary directions had already been issued to concerned authorities in this regard.
The Chairman further said that due to the elaborate mandi arrangements and operational management of the staggered arrival of wheat during last Rabi season, COVID-19 failed to put a spoke in the gigantic procurement operation, lasting one-and-a-half month. He hoped that the Mandi Board would also complete the whole operation of ongoing procurement season in a same manner this time also with the cooperation of farmers, labourers, Mandi Board, Food & Civil Supplies and other concerned departments.
Disclosing further, a Spokesperson of the Mandi Board said that the Chairman also suggested the farmers to download ‘epmb mobile app’ of Mandi Board to get the latest information regarding Mandi activities as well as e-passes for paddy procurement. This app would be immensely beneficial for all stakeholders in the procurement of paddy amid COVID-19, added the spokesperson.
Divulging the procedure for procurement, the Spokesperson said that initially farmers and arhtiyas are required to contact their Secretary Market Committees with regard to any procurement related issue and if the same is not resolved, they can establish contact at said Control Room for their districts.
Giving details of control room, the spokesperson stated that these have been established for all districts where teams of Mandi Board had been deputed to get the complaints regarding paddy procurement operations resolved. He said that 70-member team would perform their duty in Headquarter Control Room in two shifts from 7 AM to 8 PM during procurement season.
The farmers and arhtiyas of Amritsar District can contact at (0172-5101647), Barnala (0172-5101673) , Bathinda (0172-5101668), Faridkot (0172-5101694), Fatehgarh Sahib (0172-5101665), Fazilka (0172-5101650), Ferozepur (0172-5101609), Gurdaspur (0172-5101619), Hoshiarpur (0172-5101605), Jalandhar (0172-5101682), Kapurthala (0172-5101620), Ludhiana (0172-5101629) and Mansa (0172-5101648).
Likewise, the farmers and arhtiyas of Moga can contact the control room at 0172-5101700, Mohali (0172-5101641), Pathankot (0172-5101651), Patiala (0172-5101652), Ropar (0172-5101646), Sangrur (0172-5101692), S.B.S. Nagar (0172-5101649), Sri Muktsar Sahib (0172-5101659) and Tarn Taran (172-5101643).