CM targets Cong as purchase of mustard at MSP begins in Raj

Jaipur: Accusing the Congress of betraying farmers, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Wednesday Sharma formally initiated the purchase of mustard at minimum support price (MSP) at the new grain market in Sriganganagar.
Sharma said his govt had set the MSP for mustard at Rs 5,950 per quintal, with a target to purchase 13.2 lakh metric tonnes of mustard this fiscal year. Similarly, he said, the state govt will purchase 5.46 lakh metric tonnes of chickpeas at MSP of Rs 5,650 per quintal.
Sharma said that during the previous Cong govt's tenure in 2022-23, MSP for mustard was Rs 5,050, which the BJP govt had increased by Rs 900. Additionally, the purchase limit per farmer at MSP had been raised from 25 quintals to 40 quintals. He said in the past year and a quarter, state govt purchased 4,85,000 metric tonnes of groundnuts, whereas the previous govt purchased 5,53,000 metric tonnes in its entire five-year term. "Our govt increased MSP for groundnuts from Rs 5,850 to Rs 6,783 per quintal," he said.
The CM announced approval of Rs 40 crore for a mini secretariat in Sriganganagar. He inspected the Shivpur canal headworks under the Ganganagar Project in Sriganganagar. He instructed officials to ensure better irrigation management of the Ganganagar system.
After the inspection, the CM said DPR for reconstruction of the Ferozepur feeder at a cost of Rs 200 crore had been prepared and sent to the Central Water Commission. Similarly, a DPR for CC lining, gravel roads, and construction works for Bikaner Canal's Punjab section (RD 45 to 368) at a cost of Rs 300 crore will soon be prepared by the Punjab govt. "A letter was sent to the Punjab govt for this," he said.
The CM said a DPR for automation in the Ganganagar system, at a cost of Rs 695 crore, was approved by the CWC. He said with the automation system, water will be equally available at both the head and tail reaches, resolving issues of reduced soil fertility and waterlogging due to excess water. Sharma also visited the Suratgarh Super Critical Thermal Power Station on Wednesday. He inspected the power station and instructed the officials to ensure the orderly operation of the units to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply to farmers and the public during the summer season.