Bhubaneswar, The 
Minister for Food Supply and Consumer Welfare, Shri Ranendra Pratap Swamy, has requested the Union Government to provide Rs 4,036 crore in arrears to the state provisional and advance subsidies from the central government for rice procurement. Today, Minister Swayamsevak wrote a letter to the Union Minister for Khauti Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goi, alleging that the central government was not receiving timely subsidies for rice procurement. While the Odisha State Supply Corporation has borrowed Rs 15,000 crore from banks for rice procurement in the state, the corporation is facing financial crisis due to untimely receipt of Rs 4,036 crore due to subsidy and rice procurement work is likely to be disrupted.
Minister for Food Supply and Consumer Welfare, Shri Ranendra Pratap Swamy, has requested the Union Government to provide Rs 4,036 crore in arrears to the state provisional and advance subsidies from the central government for rice procurement. Today, Minister Swayamsevak wrote a letter to the Union Minister for Khauti Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goi, alleging that the central government was not receiving timely subsidies for rice procurement. While the Odisha State Supply Corporation has borrowed Rs 15,000 crore from banks for rice procurement in the state, the corporation is facing financial crisis due to untimely receipt of Rs 4,036 crore due to subsidy and rice procurement work is likely to be disrupted.
Kharif paddy harvesting has been accelerated in the state and more than 22 per cent kharif paddy has been harvested as of today. A large number of farmers have been able to sell their paddy and make a living. While the state has the largest number of people employed in agriculture, it can help increase the income of millions of farmers as well as agriculture and economic growth. "Full transparency in the procurement process will be provided and the money sold will be paid directly to the farmers' bank accounts online," he said.
The state government has been able to procure paddy from farmers in remote and inaccessible areas, even in unusual circumstances such as Covid-16. "The economy of the country is affected by Covid-16," he said. In this regard, the Union Minister, Mr. Goel, in his letter urged the government to take immediate steps to address the above issues as agriculture has a special role to play in the procurement and recovery of rice in the state.
He further added that the Food Corporation of India (ECF) had said that the current kharif season would bring 50 per cent of the usuna rice from the state in 2020-21 and only Arua rice would be harvested during the Rabi season. Since the 2003-08 kharif marketing year, the state government has been collecting paddy directly from farmers through the minimum support price in the decentralization collection system. Due to the sincere efforts of the state government, Odisha has become the fourth largest food grain supplier to the central food pantry.
Odisha is a major rice-growing state. Only eight out of 30 districts in the state eat Arua rice. Most rice mills in the state only produce Usuna rice. "During the Rabi season, the Indian Food Corporation will only raise Arua rice and only 50 per cent of the current kharif rice will be affected by the current kharif," Swayamsevak said in a letter. The state uses about 2.8 million metric tonnes of rice under the general distribution system and other welfare schemes. The Food Corporation of India needs to harvest about 3 million metric tonnes of rice during the current kharif marketing season.
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