Faridkot
Ahartias of Punjab under the banner of Federation of Ahartia Association Punjab(FAAP) are up in arms against the ministry of consumer affairs, food and distribution of union government and Food Corporation of India, a central procurement agency, demanding to restore their earlier commission of Rs 2.5 per cent, which they alleged was frozen at Rs 64 per quintal at the Minimum support price of every crop which is procured by the state agencies or the FCI.
“Our bills are made with Rs 2.5 per cent commission, but only private parties pay us this commission while the government only pay us Rs 64 per quintal,” said Ashok Goyal, president of Ahartia Association Kotkpaura.
They, led by Vijay Kalra, sate president of the association, announced that they will not sell any produce to the FCI now onwards.
“If the FCI is assigned any yard, we demand the state procurement agencies must be there. We also demand our previous commission which is balance towards the government,” said Kalra.
Besides this, the Ahartias also demanded from the union government that the deduction of Employees Provident Fund(EPF) from their commission be discontinued as it is unjustified.
“The FCI deducts about 30 per cent of EFP from us, but we don't have permanent labour, rather we have temporary migrant labour which comes and leaves after each season. We have 1 one to 4 regular employees and hence, we do not have any mechanism to facilitate the temporary labour with EPF. So it is unjust to deduct EPF from us,” said Ashok Kumar Goyal.
The Ahartias also raised the issue of non payment of any commission by the Cotton Corporation of India on cotton on cotton.
“Apart from these, we also demand that there should be a separate head in the J form for the expenditure of the labour. Now all the amount goes to the farmers accounts and we have to recover it from the farmers. Earlier, the commission agents were authorized to deduct the labour charges as per the J-Forms. This process is troublesome now both for the farmers and commission agents. We have to pay the labour immediately while recovery takes time,” said Vijay Kalra and Ashok Goyal.
They further alleged that no commission to the commission agents of Moga has been paid on the wheat crop stored in the silos at a Moga village.
“It has been 5 months since the wheat has been sold, but the commission agents of Moga yet to receive the commission from those agencies(allegedly FCI) whose produce was stored in the silos at Dagru village,” they alleged.
According to Goyal, a large number of commission agents, accountants and labour from across the state staged a protest in Moga on Monday.
The commission agents further warned the concerned ministry and others that they would intensify the protests of their demands go unheard.
“About 200 men from Kotkpaura grain market led by me attend the protest,” Goyal claimed.