ROURKELA: THE Sundargarh administration has decided to close paddy procurement by mid-March. With procurement on in full swing with purchase of about 1.28 lakh tonnes of paddy, the administration hopes to close procurement after purchase of another 22,000 tonnes.
The administration has ensured online transfer of the sale proceeds to the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers. However, payments were getting delayed in some Jan Dhan accounts for non-compliance of KYC norms.
Paddy procurement was kicked off in mid-December last year for the 2016-17 Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) on P-PAS (Paddy-Procurement Automated System) mode in all 17 blocks of the district through 112 Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs). As per guidelines, the administration has also resorted to integration of the ‘Bhulekh’ database of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to ensure authentication of cultivable plots of farmers.
Sundargarh Civil Supplies Officer (CSO) Abhiram Pradhan informed that about 27,000 farmers were registered online for paddy procurement. So far, about 1.28 lakh tonnes of paddy valued at about Rs 188 crore have been procured of which, about Rs 174.81 crores have been transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers. Pradhan said the paddy purchase process would close by mid-March and by then, they hope to receive another 22,000 tonnes though the district can procure total 1.64 lakh tonnes.
Sources said the administration faced difficulty in transfer of sale proceeds in 148 Jan Dhan accounts of farmers owing to non-compliance of KYC norms. The prevailing banking guidelines prohibit transfer of above Rs 50,000 to Jan Dhan accounts not complying with KYC norms.
The CSO informed that the banks have been advised to help the beneficiary farmers comply with KYC norms and the problem has already been sorted out in case of 95 Jan Dhan accounts. He said the farmers failing to comply with KYC norms in existing Jan Dhan accounts are being helped by the administration to open new accounts in Sundargarh District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd for faster transfer of funds.
Sources informed in at least 50 of 112 PPCs, the arrival of paddy stocks has drastically slowed down.