Govt begins exercise to form new agri market panels

Wanaparthy: The State Agriculture and Marketing department has begun an exercise to constitute new agri market committees following the change of government after recent Assembly election. The exercise follows the orders issued by Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on February 12 scrapping the old committees.

According to the latest orders, the government has decided to have reservations for the post of the committee chairman based on rotation. Towards this aim the government has invited proposals from the newly elected MLAs.

The Marketing Act, 1966 stipulates each committee should have 18 members, including 12 farmers. One of them is to be appointed chairman and the others are to be nominated. They should include SCs, STs, BCs, weaker sections, besides women and two representatives of licensed traders. The balance four should be ex-officio members. The orders issued by the government say that small and medium and dairy farmers should get importance in the formation of the new committees.

As per the new regulations, the reservations system is as follows: BCs (Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy, Pebbair, Gadwal, Alampur, Nawabpet; BC (women): Devarkadra, Kalwakurthy; OC (general): Atmakur, Badepalli; OC (women): Nagarkurnool, Maktal; SC: Madanapuram, Narayanpet, Kosgi; SC (women): Achampet; and ST: Kolhapur.

Following the government decision, the MLAs are said to be preparing for the formation of coordination committees. The party activists, who have been waiting for years for nominated posts, are said to have begun lobbying for inclusion in the new committees seeking to remain in good books of MLAs, either by approaching them directly or through recommendations of elders from other parties.

It may be recalled that in 2018, the then TRS government had ushered in changes in the formation of agri and marketing committees, with reservations based on the roster system, but it delayed the revival of these committees. Later, it also increased the term of a chairman by two years. The Congress government is learnt to have decided to follow this policy and add six more months to the chairman’s term.