Major Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao today said cashless economy will be implemented in Agricultural Markets and Raithu Bazars from December 10 onwards in the entire State.
The minister conducted a review meeting of Marketing Department here on Thursday with the officials concerned. Speaking on the occasion, Harish Rao said the department stood in No. 1 place in the implementation of Haritha Haram program and exhorted the officials to show the same spirit in future also. He also opined that cashless transactions would eradicate zero “dandas” in the markets and transparency would increase in the markers.
The Marketing Department was a big department with Rs 35,000-crore turnover per year, he said and asked the market committees secretaries to work out of the box work. The Marketing Department was working for the benefit of several lakhs of farmers in the State. There was a need to give an adequate training to the staff of the market yards in cashless economy, he said. The banks like ICICI would give training in this regard. He also asked the market committees to adopt the cashless policy like Warangal Market, which was implementing cashless economy. He asked the officials to make the market workers like dawais, hamalies and others to open bank accounts and provide them debit cards.
Harish Rao directed the officials to open micro ATMs in market yards. He asked the officials to pay to farmers, who have bank accounts, amounts through RTGS. He directed the officials to consult the district Collectors on the problems with regard to cashless economy in markets. He asked the officials of Mehdipatnam, Vanasthalipuram Raithu Bazars to implement cashless economy like Kukatpally Rathu Bazar. He also directed the officials to initiate steps to set up Neem Market in Nakrekal and Orange Market in Nalgonda by selecting places and start construction works on war-footing. He also made it clear that there was no scarcity of funds for the ‘Raithu Bandhu’ scheme and there was need to give publicity of the same among the farmers. (NSS)