Patna,(BiharTimes): Ignoring the Narendra Modi’s government directive to states not to announce bonus to paddy growers this year the Jitan Ram Manjhi government has declared a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal. The procurement of paddy started on November 25 and will end on April 15.

Incidentally, the announcement came just when former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had, in each and every place he went during the on-going Sampark Yatra, criticized the entre on this count. He did so even in Ara and Buxar on Friday, where too he read out the Union Food Ministry’s letter in this regard and translated it in Hindi for the JD(U) workers to understand.

Nitish said that not only the Centre had not increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by 50 per cent as Narendra Modi promised during the election rallies, but even stopped the states from paying bonus on the plea that it would “drive away private foodgrains dearlers from the market.”

Nitish said that never in the last 40 years of food procurement such a directive has been issued by the Centre. As reported in July the new government had sent letters to the state governments asking them not to announce bonus over and above the minimum support price of rice and wheat.

But according to Bihar’s Food and Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak the state government has made a provision of Rs 900 crore for payment of bonus to the farmers. Funds for the purpose would be sanctioned by the cabinet.

The state has fixed a procurement price of Rs 1,360 per quintal for ordinary paddy and Rs 1,400 per quintal for fine paddy.

The Bihar minister said the state government has ignored the warning of Food Corporation of India to restrict movement of foodgrains to the states if they violate the Narendra Modi government’s directive and went ahead with payment of bonus.