Sai Govt set to Fulfil key “Modi Guarantee', Disburse Pending Bonus on Paddy Procured

Raipur: The Vishnu Deo Sai government is set to fulfil the key promise made under ‘Modi Guarantees’ by releasing the two years’ pending bonus on procurement of paddy from the farmers on Monday.

The pending bonus on the purchase of paddy from the farmers in 2017 and 2018 amounted to around Rs 3,716 crore, an official press release issued here on Sunday said.

“We are going to transfer the pending paddy bonus amounts to the accounts of around 12 lakh farmers on Monday, fulfilling a key promise made under the ‘Modi Guarantees’”, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai said here on Sunday.

In its pre-poll promise, BJP had declared to release the pending bonus on the purchase of paddy from the farmers in 2017 and 2018 on December 25, if the party returned to power in the November Assembly elections.

“There is no dearth of funds. We will implement all our promises made under ‘Modi Guarantees’ with the cooperation of the Centre”, Mr Sai said.

The state cabinet in its first meeting last week had pledged to build 18 lakh houses for the homeless families in the state, another key promise made under the ‘Modi Guarantees’.

Besides, the state government has also announced a hike in the procurement price of paddy from Rs 2,640 per quintal to Rs 3,100 per quintal, which will cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 40,000 crore.

Mr Sai announced that the farmers who have already sold their paddy to the state government in the current paddy procurement season would be entitled for the hiked procurement price.

An estimated 130 lakh metric tons of paddy is expected to be procured from the farmers in the state by the Chhattisgarh government in the current kharif season.

Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country which procures paddy directly from the farmers and sells it to the Centre.

The paddy procurement policy was introduced by the previous Dr Raman Singh government.