Chandigarh, April 11 (IANS) As the wheat arrivals surge across agrarian state Punjab, the total purchase of wheat has created a record in five years, officials said on Monday.
Government agencies have procured 4.3 lakh metric tons of wheat till April 10, against the earlier highest peak of 38,019 metric tons in 2018.
An official told IANS this year the government has ensured that minimum support price (MSP) payments of Rs 138 crore transferred directly into bank accounts of farmers, whereas the earlier high was Rs 6.5 crore in year 2017.
Terming the record-breaking figures a result of the good arrangements, he said the state government was committed to welfare of the farmers and would continue to take all possible steps to facilitate them.
The Central government has fixed the minimum support price of wheat at Rs 2,015 per quintal.
The government aims to purchase 132 lakh tonnes of wheat this season. The procurement of wheat, which began on April 1, will continue till May 31.
Several Rajput families from Rajasthan, including the erstwhile royals of Jaipur and Udaipur, a Congress Minister and partys spokesperson, have joined the league of claimants to the rich legacy of Lord Ram.
Reiterating his support for integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday appealed to the neighbouring states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur to recognise the democratic rights of the Naga people.
"Rahul Gandhi I guess things haven't changed that much, haan?! ..best brother in the world!," she said in a tweet, attaching an adorable childhood picture of the two.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has warned inimical forces against any attempt to spoil the peace and harmony in the country and urged people to join hands in fighting such forces.
A 12-year-old braveheart, Venkatesh, was felicitated on the occasion of 73rd Independence Day for risking his life and escorting an ambulance on a submerged bridge
