BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Thursday promised to end the contentious centralized token system for paddy procurement and streamline the purchase by opening market yards at the panchayat level under the leadership of sarpanches if the party is voted in the three-tier panchayat elections in Odisha.
Releasing a 22-point BJP manifesto for the rural polls, the party tried to woo farmers. State BJP president Samir Mohanty said his party will fight for a transparent paddy procurement system by ending the nexus of millers and middlemen. “The system to send tokens to farmers from Bhubaneswar is delaying the procurement process. This will stop,” he said.
Various farmer organizations have been protesting against the current system in which farmers can sell paddy only when they get centralized tokens generated at the state level and on pre-decided date and time allotted to them.
The BJP manifesto said the party will work to ensure that farmers are able to sell all their harvest, doing away with an upper limit fixed for each of them depending on their land holding size, at the minimum support price.
The BJP also promised to ensure the Centre’s cash incentives under PM KISAN reaches the farmers. The party said though the Union government has been giving Rs 6000 per year in three instalments, lion’s share of the money is going to middlemen owing allegiance to the ruling party in Odisha and not to the actual farmers.
The BJP said it is committed to strengthen panchayats as envisioned in the constitution and ensure decentralized decision making. Gram sabhas will be constituted to make village level development plans with the help of sarpanches and ward members. The ward members and sarpanches will directly spend money given to the panchayats.
The saffron party leaflet said if voted it will end bribery for applying houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) and toilets under Swachh Bharat. It promised to ensure all the eligible beneficiaries get PMAY-G houses. The party will ensure piped drinking water and LPG gas connection to each household.
The BJP said apart from further strengthening the women self-help groups, considered a major vote bank of the BJD, the party would form men self-help groups and extend similar benefits. The BJP said it would ensure panchayat samitis work effectively without political and bureaucratic interference.
It said the Zilla Parishads will be empowered to prepare and execute district level development plans. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) works which are currently done using machines will be stopped so that needy workers get jobs, it said.
Releasing a 22-point BJP manifesto for the rural polls, the party tried to woo farmers. State BJP president Samir Mohanty said his party will fight for a transparent paddy procurement system by ending the nexus of millers and middlemen. “The system to send tokens to farmers from Bhubaneswar is delaying the procurement process. This will stop,” he said.
Various farmer organizations have been protesting against the current system in which farmers can sell paddy only when they get centralized tokens generated at the state level and on pre-decided date and time allotted to them.
The BJP manifesto said the party will work to ensure that farmers are able to sell all their harvest, doing away with an upper limit fixed for each of them depending on their land holding size, at the minimum support price.
The BJP also promised to ensure the Centre’s cash incentives under PM KISAN reaches the farmers. The party said though the Union government has been giving Rs 6000 per year in three instalments, lion’s share of the money is going to middlemen owing allegiance to the ruling party in Odisha and not to the actual farmers.
The BJP said it is committed to strengthen panchayats as envisioned in the constitution and ensure decentralized decision making. Gram sabhas will be constituted to make village level development plans with the help of sarpanches and ward members. The ward members and sarpanches will directly spend money given to the panchayats.
The saffron party leaflet said if voted it will end bribery for applying houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) and toilets under Swachh Bharat. It promised to ensure all the eligible beneficiaries get PMAY-G houses. The party will ensure piped drinking water and LPG gas connection to each household.
The BJP said apart from further strengthening the women self-help groups, considered a major vote bank of the BJD, the party would form men self-help groups and extend similar benefits. The BJP said it would ensure panchayat samitis work effectively without political and bureaucratic interference.
It said the Zilla Parishads will be empowered to prepare and execute district level development plans. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) works which are currently done using machines will be stopped so that needy workers get jobs, it said.
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