Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Monday said the state government had made comprehensive arrangements for smooth and hassle-free paddy procurement across Punjab. Reviewing procurement operations at the Kharar grain market, he said authorities were closely monitoring the process to ensure farmers faced no inconvenience.Kataruchak said 3.83 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had arrived in mandis across the state, of which government procurement agencies had purchased 3.44 lakh tonnes. Payments amounting to Rs 188 crore had been made to farmers against procured produce.He said the pace of lifting would be accelerated in the coming days and assured farmers that there was no shortage of gunny bags. The state, he said, would comfortably meet its target of procuring 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy for the government quota.The minister added that the Reserve Bank of India had sanctioned a Cash Credit Limit of Rs 42,786 crore to ensure adequate funds for procurement operations.During his visit, Kataruchak interacted with farmers, arhtiyas and other stakeholders to assess ground-level arrangements. In his presence, PUNSUP purchased paddy brought by farmer Mandeep Singh of Tripri village.He directed procurement agencies to ensure payments were credited to farmers’ bank accounts within 24 hours of purchase entries being recorded. He also stressed coordination among agencies for timely procurement, lifting and payments.MP Malvinder Singh Kang said existing paddy stocks in Punjab would be cleared through coordination with the Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already written to Union Minister Prahlad Joshi regarding the matter.Kang said the existing stock belonged to the government quota and its clearance was the Centre’s responsibility to ensure sufficient storage space for the incoming crop.Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Parminder Singh Goldy said local issues were being resolved through coordination among departments. Market Committee Kharar Chairman Sukhjinder Singh Bittu also briefed the minister on arrangements at the mandi.