Bhubaneswar, Nov. 13 -- The procurement of Kharif paddy for the current season is all set to begin from November 20, with Bargarh district being the first to roll out the process. The State Government on Thursday announced extensive arrangements to ensure smooth procurement and proper storage of paddy across mandis for the current season.

According to official sources, modern facilities have been installed in several procurement centres to strengthen the storage and handling of the harvested crop. In a major initiative to modernise the paddy procurement system, the government has decided to establish 100 model mandis across Odisha within the next two years.

As part of the first phase, tenders have been floated and work has already comme...