Agartala, Feb 12: The Tripura government has procured 17,497.109 metric tons of paddy from farmers during the Kharif season at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹23 per kg. This initiative has benefited 8,922 farmers across the state, said Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury at a press conference held at the Secretariat Yesterday.
The minister informed that the procurement was carried out through 51 paddy procurement centers across 19 sub-divisions. The state government has spent ₹40.25 crore for this purchase, out of which ₹35.52 crore has already been transferred to farmers’ bank accounts. More than 88% of the payments have been successfully processed, and the remaining payments will be completed soon. The paddy procurement process, initiated on December 19, 2024, concluded on February 8, 2025, with active cooperation from the Agriculture Department.
Minister Chowdhury further highlighted that since the formation of the current government, paddy procurement has been conducted twice a year during the Kharif and Rabi seasons. Since 2018, the government has procured a total of 2,25,356.805 metric tons of paddy, benefiting 1,17,049 farmers, with an expenditure of ₹446.13 crore. He expressed satisfaction with the procurement process despite challenges posed by natural calamities and reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening farmers’ financial stability.
‘Jagruti’ Awareness Campaign on Road Safety, Consumer Protection, and Drug Prevention
In addition to paddy procurement, Minister Chowdhury, who also holds the Transport portfolio, spoke about the state-wide ‘Jagruti’ awareness campaign. This initiative, jointly conducted by the Transport and Food Departments with support from various other departments, focused on road safety, consumer protection, and drug abuse prevention.
The campaign engaged around 5,200 students from 25 institutions, including general degree colleges, universities, ICFAI University, Law College, and TIT. It was launched in Udaipur, Gomati district, on January 11 and concluded with a final event at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala, on February 10. Participants were awarded at various levels, and the government plans to extend the initiative to school-level students in the future.
Also present at the press conference were Additional Secretary of the Transport Department Subrata Chowdhury, Director of the Food Department Sumit Lodh, and Joint Director Abhijit Biswas.
