He adds, “Mobile number bhi sahi hai, naam bhi sahi hai, inhone dhaan nahin becha hai… theek hai, thank you (the name is correct, the mobile number is correct, he hasn’t sold paddy, alright).”
The enquiries revealed discrepancies in the records kept at the centre. He stumbled upon them during his interactions, as the people answering calls on more than a dozen numbers he dialled, hung up on the minister, as soon as they heard his name.
Seemingly admonishing people at the centre, he is heard saying in the video: “Agar yahan do bori chali jayegi kisan ki, char bori chali jayegi, to kaun zimmerdaar hoga? (Who will be responsible if the gunny bags of the produce from farmers go missing)?”
Farmers have reportedly made allegations of the flouting of rules at the procurement centre.
A man, seemingly a farmer, alleges in the video that turns for weighing the produce are compromised against rules depending on the influence of farmers.
He questions why the kattas (gunny bags — each having a quintal’s capacity) weighing 80-90-150 quintals are being weighed on days that are allotted for the weighing of the produce from “chhote kisan” (farmers who bring lesser produce) — by the SDM for their convenience.
He adds that he got 30 quintals of produce to the centre on the day allotted to small farmers such as him. “Jo dabang hain unki tol hoti hai, jo dabang nahin hain unki tol nahin hoti hai (those who are influential succeed in getting their produce weighed and those who are not, don’t).”
Reportedly, farmers alleged that they are not allowed to sell the produce and “the middlemen brought it for lower prices before selling it back at the nominated MSP to the procurement centre.”
More surprise popped up. Reportedly, one person he made a phone call to, even said that he has no agricultural land.
Singh said that he had not come across “itna brashtth” (this corrupt) centre among the 50 centres in the 11-12 districts he had visited so far. He assured action and assured the farmers that the situation would change beginning that day itself and he would make arrangements towards bettering the situation.
Interestingly, Barabanki was in the news for “slow” paddy procurement in December 2020. The report mentions that Member of Parliament from Barabanki, Upendra Singh Rawat, took up the matter.
Rawat and the local MLA made visits to the market to address the situation. The issue came to the notice of Adityanath.
When this author spoke to Singh, he had returned from a tour of Azamgarh and Basti districts.
He told Swarajya that he felt relieved to discover that the farmers of Azamgarh and Basti have a good level of awareness. “kisaan bahut jaagruk hai Purvanchal ka mujhe aisa laga Basti aur Azamgarh mein. Wo apna kisee tarh nuksaan bardashth nahin karta mujhe dekhkar achcha laga (I felt glad to notice that the aware farmer of Azamgarh and Basti will not tolerate any kind of loss on any account in paddy procurement.”)
This report quotes Singh as saying that his perception that paddy procurement would be done in the right manner in Barabanki, considering its proximity to Lucknow, was wrong.
He urged the SDM to register a case for false procurement.
He visited Rani Sati Industries Mill in the Safdarjung Market area and found discrepancies there as well. He has ordered an enquiry under a special committee and said that the matter will be taken to CM Adityanath.
The paddy procurement season is tapering towards an end. In districts in Purvanchal, Singh informs, it will end in February.
Singh will head to Bundelkhand next. He say, “The paddy situation has bettered in Bundelkhand this year.” He said that he will take steps to ensure that the procurement season ends well for farmers in Bundelkhand.
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