FCI counters to be set up in Narela Mandi from tomorrow: Gopal Rai

NEW DELHI: Amid farmers’ demands, Food Corporation of India counters will be set up in Narela Mandi from Monday for wheat procurement at MSP rates, Delhi agriculture minister Gopal Rai said. The announcement came on Saturday after a meeting of the Delhi agriculture department, Food Corporation of India and mandi officials.
The registrations will be open from 10 am to 5 pm, and coupons will be given to farmers from there itself.The coupons will have a date mentioned on them on which the farmers can bring their crops to the godown for sale. Farmers at the mandi were facing problems because of the absence of FCI counters there, said Rai.
“The setting up of counters will save farmers’ time. Now, they will neither have to follow a long and tedious process of registration nor be forced to run from pillar to post to sell their crops,” Rai said in a statement, adding that he himself had visited the mandi on Friday and found no FCI counter there to buy foodgrains at MSP.
Rai further said, “BJP functionary Ramvir Singh Bidhuri had falsely claimed that counters have already been set up in Narela Mandi and demanded my resignation. Bidhuri must make proper investigations into the matter and then make statements, and not rely on half-baked knowledge to do so.”
“The counters were set up in godowns, and not mandis, however, the latter was the demand of farmers,” he added.
“Within Delhi, FCI counters were set up in three areas — Mayapuri, Najafgarh Mandi and Narela Godown of FCI. However, farmers demanded that the counters must be installed in the mandi as well. Hence, this decision has been taken. Officials of the agriculture department, mandis, and FCI will be present at the counters,” the agriculture minister said.