Odisha strengthens paddy procurement with digital platform, ensures timely MSP payments

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 : In a significant move to enhance transparency and efficiency in paddy procurement, the Odisha Government has rolled out a robust digital platform to ensure timely and error-free disbursement of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and input assistance to farmers across the State.

As part of the reform, the State has, for the first time, implemented Aadhaar-based e-KYC verification to eliminate erroneous or duplicate payments. The initiative ensures that financial assistance is credited exclusively to genuine farmers registered on the P-PAS (Paddy Procurement Automation System) portal, official sources said.

The government has been working to streamline procurement operations and strengthen transparent financial transactions. So far, financial assistance amounting to Rs 12,703.74 crore has been disbursed towards MSP and input assistance, benefiting 10,56,693 farmers. More than 7.99 lakh farmers have already benefited from procurement operations.

However, a limited number of 5,562 cases have encountered payment issues due to bank account-related problems. These include accounts reaching permissible transaction limits—particularly Jan Dhan accounts, Airtel Payments Bank accounts and India Post Payments Bank accounts—besides inactive or frozen accounts, non-seeding of Aadhaar, closure of accounts and pending KYC updates.

To address these challenges, the State Government has taken proactive measures. District-level officials and field functionaries are engaging with affected farmers and assisting them in resolving the issues by coordinating with respective banks. Regular SMS alerts and phone calls are also being made to inform farmers about specific errors in their bank accounts.

Further strengthening farmer support, the government has enhanced its grievance redressal mechanism. Farmers can seek assistance or clarification related to paddy procurement and MSP payments through the toll-free helpline number 1967, official sources added.