Bhubaneswar, March 31 -- The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday sharply criticized the state government over alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement, demanding an extension of the Kharif procurement period by 15 days and the Rabi registration deadline by one month.
Addressing the media, BJD vice-president Sanjay Das Burma and former minister Rohit Pujari claimed that paddy belonging to nearly 1.11 lakh farmers remains unprocured, even as March 31 marked the official end of the Kharif procurement season. They described this as a clear indication of administrative failure.
Das Burma alleged that while the government has been highlighting its achievements, it has admitted in the Assembly that a significant number of farmers were unable to s...