ELECTRONIC PAYMENT: Arhtiyas threaten to launch stir in Haryana from March 30

The commission agents met Union minister Paswan, demanded they be allowed to make deductions from farmers’ payment

Disgruntled with the government’s move to make payment of wheat procured on minimum support price (MSP) to farmers electronically, commission agents in Haryana have threatened to hold statewide protests from March 30.

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As per the government’s directions, the payments will be made in the accounts of the commission agents which are complying with the norms under public financial management system (PFMS). They will have to transfer the payment into the accounts of farmers, who are registered under the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal.

But the commission agents say they cannot make the entire payment to farmers as they will not clear their loans taken from commission agents.

Haryana State Anaj Mandi Arhtiya Association president Ashok Gupta told HT that the members of the association held a meeting in Panipat and decided to launch the agitation from March 30 if the government will not accept their demands, including permission to make deductions against money lent by them to farmers from the payments. They also want that the payments should not be made under PFMS.

He said a delegation of commission agents, led by him, on Thursday also took up the issue with the Union minister of consumer affairs Ram Vilas Paswan who asked them to send a representation via state government or their local MPs.

However, the move is being considered as pressure tactics of the commission agents ahead of the harvesting season as the government claimed that the commission agents had agreed to the proposal of clearing all the payments of farmers electronically in a prescribed time.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, PK Das said, “The decision on electronic payments was taken in consultation with arhtiyas and we don’t have any objection if they are ready to make the payments to farmers from the current account in a bank which is participating in e-transaction system.”

“The commission agents will get the payment on the basis of MSP in their account on daily basis and they will also have to clear the payment to farmers on daily basis,” he added.

But he made it clear that the registration of every farmer is mandatory to sell the crop in the mandi and it will ensure that every farmer gets MSP and it will not have any impact on the arhtiya-farmer money-lending business.