Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 18

The Centre has asked Punjab and Haryana to ensure online payment to farmers through the electronic mode from the coming wheat procurement season.

According to a presentation made by the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs on Thursday, states have been directed to make online payment via state or FCI portals to ensure MSP reaches the farmers.

“The Government of India has also directed state governments of Haryana and Punjab to ensure online payments to farmers through e-mode from the upcoming season,” said the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs. That apart, procurement through bio-authentication of farmers has also been introduced in Uttar Pradesh, it said, adding that Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are also keen to adopt bio-authenticated procurement which will ensure transparency and tracking end-use beneficiary.

Meanwhile, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, who highlighted the achievements of the departments, said the Centre did not have any proposal to raise the prices of food grains sold through ration shops under the National Food Security Act.

Food grain prices have not been revised since the introduction of the Act even though the economic cost has been increasing every year.

“At present, there is no such proposal before the Food Ministry to increase the prices of products given under the Food Security Act,” Goyal said.

The ministry is also looking at monetisation of assets of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), which will lead to large investments in modernisation of warehousing and storage infrastructure.