Minister Lal Chand : The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is fully dedicated to safeguarding the interests of everyone involved in the procurement process at mandis. Recognizing the vital role of labourers engaged in loading activities, the government has increased their wages to ₹2.64 per sack.
Sharing further details at Anaj Bhawan today, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak informed the media that last year, labourers were paid ₹1.80 per sack. This was first raised by 41 paise to ₹2.21 and now has been increased by another 43 paise. With a total hike of 84 paise in a year, labourers are expected to gain benefits amounting to ₹10 crore. The Minister emphasized that this move reinforces the State Government’s commitment to improving the lives of workers.
Speaking about storage readiness, the Minister stated that during a video conference with all Deputy Commissioners, he instructed them to ensure sufficient storage capacity, and no issues were reported in this regard.
He also announced that 2,676 purchase centres have been established across the state, including 1,864 regular and 812 temporary centres. So far, 4.19 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat have arrived at the mandis, of which 3.22 LMT—about 76%—has already been procured. Additionally, payments worth ₹151 crore under MSP have been transferred directly to farmers’ accounts.
Highlighting other welfare initiatives, Mr. Kataruchak mentioned that the margin money for depot holders was recently increased from ₹50 to ₹90 per quintal after a gap of eight years.
Reassuring farmers, he affirmed the Punjab Government’s unwavering commitment to procuring every single grain they produce, adding that comprehensive preparations have been made to ensure a smooth and efficient procurement season.
Present at the press conference were Principal Secretary for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rahul Tiwari, and Secretary-cum-Director Varinder Kumar Sharma.