ribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19

Asserting that “no further relaxation on this account will be accorded”, the Centre today asked Punjab and Haryana to ensure electronic-mode payment of MSP to farmers from the coming procurement season.

Both state governments have been routinely approaching the Centre for granting exemption or seeking time for implementation of direct online payment initiative, the Ministry of Food and Public distribution and Consumer Affairs today said.

“The government is regularly pursuing with state governments of Punjab and Haryana for ensuring direct online payment into farmers’ accounts since 2015-16. The Centre has therefore directed them to ensure online payment to farmers through the e-mode from the upcoming season and that no further relaxation on this account will be accorded,” said a statement by the ministry headed by Piyush Goyal, who has been leading talks with farmer unions on the three Central farm laws along with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister Som Prakash.

The Centre also asked the state agencies to use the Expenditure Advance Transfer (EAT) module of the Public Financial Module System (PFMS) while making payment as mandated by the Finance Ministry.

Amid the ongoing agitation against the three laws, the ministry said the e-mode “far predates” the legislations and also that the “the government has no intention to eliminate arthiyas and neither is e-mode replacement of the current mandi system in Punjab and Haryana”.