Rajasthan govt to open mandis in phased manner from April 15

The Rajasthan government on Wednesday decided to open mandis' (vegetable markets) for procurement of agriculture commodities from farmers on minimum support price from April 15.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after a review meeting with state ministers and officials through video conferencing.

He directed the officials to open the mandis from April 15 in a phased manner while ensuring there is no crowd in the markets. He also called for effective implementation of social distancing protocol in view of the safety of people.

Farmers' interest is important for us. It should also be ensured that there is no crowd in mandis and that social distancing is maintained in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, a release quoting the chief minister said.

The procurement of agricultural produce will take place at nearly 800 places in the state, the release said.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria, Food and Civil Supply Minister Ramesh Meena, Cooperative Minister Udai Lal Anjana, Ministers of State Bhajan Lal Jatav and Tikaram Jully, Chief Secretary D B Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (home) Rajeeva Swarup and other senior officials were part of the meeting.