Badal inaugurates state-of-the art fruit and vegetable market in Mohali

SAS Nagar (Mohali), February 8, 2014: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that ultra modern fruit and vegetable markets on the pattern of Mohali would be soon set up in other big cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala in the first phase. The remaining cities would be covered gradually in the second phase to ensure hassle free and smooth marketing facilities to the farmers and traders including both retailers and whole sellers besides giving a boost to the cultivation of fruits and vegetables as a part of state government’s flagship program of Crop Diversification.
Addressing the public gathering especially the farmers, after the inauguration of ultra modern fruit and vegetable market here in Sector-65 A constructed over an area of 12.5 acre at a cost of nearly Rs 50 crore.
The Chief Minister said that our government was committed to take pro-farmer initiatives for the welfare of peasantry and this modern mandi was also a step towards that direction. Badal mentioned that he met and interacted with few farmers who have been allotted space in this market to directly sell their produce in order to earn more profit under ‘Apni Mandi’ scheme. He advised the farmers to sell their produce may be fruit or vegetables in small packets for the convenience of the consumers.          
In his welcome address, Secretary Mandi Board Deepinder Singh said that the most important feature of this market yard was the separation of the whole sale trade area from the retail trade area. Besides this there was a separate area where the farmers could sell directly their produce to the consumers. In this market yard the auction of the producer at the time of sale would be conducted electronically and for the accurate measurement the electronic weigh scale would be used, even such a scale would be used in the farmers market. This was for the first time that in any fruit and vegetable market yard in the state, the entire sale procedure would be monitored electronically.
The working hours in this market yard would be fixed, after the working hours the total market yard would be cleaned and disinfected. In this market yard the value addition facilities such as washing, grading, standardisation, packaging, ripening etc would also be provided. This market yard has sufficient place for the parking of the vehicles coming to the yard for transacting the business. The cleaning facility of the yard would also be of the international standards.
In his address, the Financial Commissioner Development Suresh Kumar said that the Punjab Mandi Board was the first organization in the State which has evolved an online web based system, e-Pragati, in which any person or public representative can see the status of development works with cost being carried out in their area by Punjab Mandi Board just by a click of mouse on the website punjabpragati.com. Giving an impetus to e-Governance, Punjab has become the first State in the country which has put all information of development works on the web from April, 2007 to January, 2014. He said that along with this market yard, the administrative block of Punjab Mandi Board in area of 1200 sq. feet was also under construction, where soon the all offices of Mandi Board would move in the new complex.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister accompanied Chairman Mandi Board Ajmer Singh Lakhowal and Vice Chairman Ravinder Singh Cheema launched the website online web based system, e-Pragati.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by Akali leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Chief Parliamentary Secretary NK Sharma, Chairman Punjab State Farmers’ Commission Dr. GS Kalkat, Financial Commissioner Development Suresh Kumar and Special Principal Secretary to the CM Gaggandip Singh Brar besides eminent political leaders, farmers, traders, facilitators and officers also attended the function.//punjab news live,mohali news, punjab news online, punjab news, punjab news headlines, punjab breaking news, india news, punjab news, world news,

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