The North News
Chandigarh/Gurdaspur, April 5
Punjab’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, Lal Chand Kataruchak, on Saturday conducted a high-level review meeting at Panchayat Bhawan in Gurdaspur to assess the ongoing wheat procurement operations across the Majha region. Senior officials from Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran districts were in attendance.
The meeting comes amid a bumper wheat harvest, with Kataruchak stating that the AAP-led government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has made “extensive arrangements” for more than 800,000 farmers to ensure a smooth procurement season.
The state has set a procurement target of 124 lakh metric tonnes and secured a cash credit limit of ₹28,894 crore to facilitate timely payments. Kataruchak emphasised that all payments to farmers would be completed within 24 hours of procurement.
To manage the large volume of incoming grain, 1,864 regular procurement centres have been supplemented by around 600 temporary mandis. These facilities are equipped with clean drinking water, electricity, sanitation, and medical kits. Arhtiyas (commission agents) have also been instructed to arrange tarpaulins and shelter for the grain.
District-level estimates for wheat arrivals this season include 6.69 lakh metric tonnes in Gurdaspur, 7.54 lakh metric tonnes in Amritsar, 7.76 lakh metric tonnes in Tarn Taran, and 0.73 lakh metric tonnes in Pathankot.
Reiterating the government’s commitment, Kataruchak instructed procurement staff not to take leave and to remain present in mandis until the season concludes.
The Minister was joined by Punjab Health Systems Corporation Chairman Raman Bahl, AAP Urban District President Shamsher Singh Dinanagar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Harjinder Singh Bedi, SP Balwinder Singh, and senior officials from procurement agencies.
