West Bengal Agricultural Produce Marketing Bill 2014 sent to select committee

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation)(Amendment) Bill 2014 was sent to the select committee by Speaker Biman Banerjee after Agricultural Minister Arup Roy agreed to the opposition demand.

Banerjee said it was desirable that the bill be sent to the select committee because of certain provisions in it which should be discussed threadbare before being passed in the assembly.

The select committee would submit its report within 15 days, he said.

Roy is chairman of the panel, whose other members include Leader of Opposition and CPI(M) member Surya Kanta Mishra, Congress MLA Sukhbilas Barma, SUCI member Tarun Naskar, Trinamool MLA Tapas Roy, Chief Government Whip Sobhandev Chatterjee, Minister Becharam Manna and others.

Both Barma and CPI(M) member Gouranga Chatterjee said that the Bill contained certain provisions with far reaching implications and should be sent to the select committee as it dealt with the interest of the farmers.

Some notable features in the Bill are export and import of agricultural produce, broadening of the scope of agri-produce, establishment of a private market for agri-produce.