‘Pb changing policy to favour a few millers’

Criticising the AAP govt in Punjab, All-India Rice Millers Federation and Kapurthala Rice Millers Association alleged on Monday that some rice millers, in collaboration with arhtiyas (commission agents), had “looted” farmers during paddy procurement and the farmers had suffered a “cut” to their payment. The two groups, representing rice millers, claimed that now the Punjab govt wanted to change the paddy distribution policy to favour a few rice millers.

“The farmers suffered during paddy procurement and then they had to pay ‘cuts’. Punjab govt officials remained silent during this loot, and now the state govt has written to Food Corporation of India to change the policy of allocation of stacks for milling based on the storage. It is being done to favour those rice millers who stocked more than their milling capacity,” Federation president Tarsem Saini said while addressing a press conference in the presence of the association president Devinderbir Singh Chahal and other rice millers.

“There were major irregularities in the movement of the paddy with the connivance of the food supply department and the mandi board officials. The policy at the national level is that stacks are allocated to millers according to their milling capacity,” alleged Saini. tnn

This article has been republished from The Times of India.