Bhubaneswar: With an aim to continue to upkeep the interest of farmers, the Odisha Government has decided to provide an additional input assistance of ₹800 over and above the MSP of ₹2,300, making it to ₹3,100 per quintal. 

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will launch the additional input assistance disbursal programme at an event held by the Department of Food Supply and Consumer Welfare at Sohela in Bargarh tomorrow. 

Official sources said elaborate arrangements have been made and thousands of farmers will participate in the event. 

Also, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Minister of Food Supply and Consumer Welfare, Science and Technology Krushna Chandra Patra, Minister of Cooperatives, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Pradeep Bal Samanta will attend the event. 

In different districts Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers, MPs and MLAs will be present. 

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti Pravati Parida will be present in Puri, while The Minister for Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Rural Development, Rabi Narayan Naik will grace the event in Sambalpur. 

The dignitaries include Minister for Public Works, Law and Excise, Prithiviraj Harichandan in Khurda, Commerce and Transport, Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena in Ganjam, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Health and Family welfare, Parliamentary Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling in Kalahandi.

Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Development of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, Minorities and Backward Classes, School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond will be present in Koraput, Housing and Urban Development,  Public Enterprises Minister Krishna Chandra Mohapatra in Balasore, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Labour and Employees State Insurance Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in Mayurbhanj.

Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, MSME Gokulanand Mallik will be present in Kandhamal, Minister of Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education, Sampad Chandra Swain in Jagatsinghpur, Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Higher Education, Sports and Youth Services Suryawanshi Suraj in Bhadrak.

The Government procures paddy from farmers during the kharif season by adopting a transparent procedure. The minimum support price (MSP) is paid directly to the bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours. 

Tokens are issued to the registered farmers before the procurement of paddy. Basic facilities are ensured to the farmers in every mandi.

Nodal officers appointed in each mandi keep a close watch on paddy procurement process. In case of any complaint, farmers can directly call 1967 helpline.

The Government has formed a task force in the border districts to ensure that lorries carrying paddy from outside the State do not enter into Odisha’s territorial areas.