New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said Food Corporation of India (FCI) counters will be set up in Narela Mandi from April 12 in order to procure wheat crops at minimum support price (MSP). The announcement comes after a meeting of the Delhi Agriculture Department, the FCI and mandi officials. The minister on Friday had alleged that the FCI was harassing farmers by not procuring their wheat crop on MSP. Speaking to the media after visiting Narela Mandi in north Delhi, he said no counter had been set up at the mandi and no procurement was happening, as claimed by the FCI. "There was a collective problem of the lack of counters at various mandis, and to solve the problem, a meeting was held. The registrations will be open from 10 am to 5 pm, and coupons will be given to the farmers from there itself. This was especially important as the farmers at the Narela Mandi were complaining and were facing problems because of the absence of FCI counters there," Rai said. He added that there were three FCI counters earlier at Mayapuri, Najafgarh Mandi, and Narela godown, but farmers demanded that counters must be installed at the Narela Mandi as well. "It should be noted that officials of the Agriculture department, mandis, and FCI will be present at the counters," he said. The minister said the farmers should bring "Girdawari" with them, and in case it is not available, they must carry their Aadhaar card, a copy of their "Khasra and Khatauni" documents, and bank passbooks to get themselves registered. "They will be given a coupon at the Narela Mandi, stating the date at which they can bring their crops to the godown, which will be weighed and sold thereafter," he added. The Delhi BJP on Friday had accused Rai of making false statements on wheat procurement by the FCI, and challenged him to prove the charges or resign. Responding to the accusations, Rai on Saturday said BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri "must not make statements which are an outcome of his half-baked knowledge".

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