India News | Punjab Govt to Bring OTS Scheme for 'arhtiyas'

Chandigarh, Jul 29 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Tuesday said the Punjab government will bring One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to reduce the burden of interest and penalties on shops and plots allotted to the 'arhtiyas' (commission agents) in mandis (grain markets) across the state.

Khudian, who is also the head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to further streamline paddy and other Kharif crops procurement to ensure a hassle-free experience for farmers, said the Punjab Mandi Board's OTS scheme is expected to benefit a large number of 'arhtiyas', enhancing their financial stability and contributing to the overall growth of the agricultural sector in Punjab.

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The 'arhtiyas', who were also present on the occasion, said the payment rate of loading the produce in the mandis has not been increased since many years.

They demanded an increase in the payment rate to which Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Director Varinder Kumar Sharma replied that an approval with regard to the same has been given by the Government of India and the notification would be issued soon.

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Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government has constituted a GoM, comprising Agriculture Minister Khudian as the chairman, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar and Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal as members to ensure smooth procurement of Kharif crops, said an official statement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)