Chandigarh: 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.
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.