Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Oct 23 (PTI) Three officials have been suspended for alleged malpractices in the procurement of paddy in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, the district magistrate said.

Besides the three officials being suspended, a warning has been issued to 12 officials and "adverse entry" has been made in the service records of three others, District Magiatrate Shailendra Kumar Singh said.

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Singh said lekhpals have been assigned to monitor the procurement process in their respective areas and submit report.

The district magistrate warned that stringent action would be taken in case of any laxity in the paddy procurement programme.

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Meanwhile, Lakhimpur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Arun Kumar Singh said that instructions have been issued to procurement officials to ensure that small and marginal farmers were not forced to sell their paddy to private traders at throwaway prices.

The SDM requested farmers to approach him directly if they faced any difficulty in selling their produce at mandi.

He told PTI that he had instructed officials to ensure that small and marginal farmers were given priority during procurement.

(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)