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Paddy procurement begins, stocks yet to arrive
Chandigarh, Oct 1 (IANS) Procurement of paddy officially began in agrarian states Punjab and Haryana on Monday though bare amounts of the crop arrived in the hundreds of grain markets across both states.
Punjab has sent Cash Credit Limit (CCL) proposal of Rs 40,300 crore to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the purchase of paddy.
With the retreating monsoon rains lashing Punjab and Haryana in the past 10 days, the harvesting of the paddy crop has been delayed in most areas.
Farmers are worried that the untimely rains could lead to higher moisture content in the paddy.
“The moisture content parameters were specified before the rainfall (September 22-25). The rainfall has affected the standing crop. Farmers could suffer due to this,” farmer Sukhdev Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib district said.
Punjab is targeting a procurement of 200 lakh tonnes of paddy this kharif season.
The procurement process is likely to continue till November 30. Bulk of the paddy stocks is expected to arrive in grain markets from October 10 to November 10.
Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has directed all the heads of the state and central procurement agencies to supervise the paddy procurement operations across the state to ensure prompt lifting of paddy as per their allotted share of procurement.
Ashu appealed to farmers to bring dry, clean and fully matured paddy to the mandis. In all, 1,834 purchase centres have been set up across Punjab.
“All out efforts are being made to ensure smooth, hassle free and quick procurement of paddy and facilitate farmers in getting timely payment of their produce,” he said.
The central government has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy at Rs 1,770 per quintal for ‘Grade A’ and Rs 1,750 per quintal for common variety of paddy.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.