The year started on a discordant note as farmers began to air concerns over delay in procurement of paddy and the introduction of a lengthy process, which includes registration in the e-crop portal, verification at multiple levels, and e-KYC of farmers.
The delay has forced many farmers to sell paddy at lesser rates and this has been pointed out several times by elected representatives at various meetings.
Paddy procurement remains one of the key areas of concerns. The Civil Supplies Department, the nodal department for the process, often faces flak for either delay in paddy procurement or irregularities committed by field-level staff or lesser rates offered by millers. The connivance of millers and the department personnel cannot be ruled out.
