Punjab to seek relaxation in wheat procurement norms: Sukhbir Singh Badal

DHURI (PUNJAB): Punjab government will request the Centre for relaxation in wheat procurement norms and special financial package for farmers whose crops have been damaged, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said today.

Badal said that the government would appeal to the Centre to prevail upon the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to relax its "stringent" norms whereby grain with moisture content above 14 per cent is considered unfit for procurement.

He said that unseasonal rains have not only damaged standing wheat crop at several places, but is also likely to increase the moisture content in grains once the crop starts arriving in mandis next week.

Drying facilities would be set up at market yards to help farmers he said while addressing election rallies here in favour of SAD candidate Gobind Singh Longowal in run up to the Dhuri by-poll.

The Deputy chief minister also urged the people to exercise their franchise with care.

"On the one hand you have Gobind Longowal, who will always remain your sewadar (worker), and on the other is a scion (Simar Pratap Singh Barnala) of a family who betrayed the cause of Punjab and Punjabis by aligning with the Congress despite getting everything from the SAD," he alleged.

Urging people to punish this "opportunism", Badal said the SAD was committed to "undoing all the wrongs" suffered by Dhuri as it had never been represented by a member from the ruling benches in recent times.