Paddy farmers in Chhattisgarh to get bonus

In a major decision ahead of the coming Assembly elections, the BJP government in Chhattisgarh Tuesday decided to pay a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal in addition to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to paddy farmers.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh at his official residence here.

"Paddy procurement for Kharif season 2018 will start from November 1. Farmers will be given a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal along with the MSP," Singh told reporters.

For 2018-19 Kharif season, the NDA government at the Centre has announced MSP of Rs 1,770 per quintal for A-grade paddy and Rs 1,750 per quintal for common grade paddy.

With bonus, the Chhattisgarh government will be paying farmers Rs 2,070 per quintal for A-grade paddy and Rs 2,050 for common grade paddy, Singh said.

The state cabinet approved a provision of Rs 2,400 crore for payment of bonus, he said.

The decision is significant as Assembly elections are due in the state by year-end.

The government will have to get the proposal passed in the Assembly. It has requested the Governor to call a special session of the legislature where demand proposals for the second supplementary budget will be tabled, Singh said.

The special session is likely to be held on September 11 and 12, the chief minister said.

The MSP and bonus will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers who sell paddy at the procurement centres run by the primary cooperative societies, he said.

In the last Kharif season, farmers had received the bonus later, after the procurement process was over, but this time the whole amount will be paid together, he noted.

The cabinet also decided to withdraw 19,832 cases registered against forest-dwellers under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Singh said.

These cases were registered before December 31, 2016, and the offences carry the maximum fine of Rs 20,000, he said.