Shivraj Singh Chouhan holds high-level meeting regarding the resolution of farmers’ complaints

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, conducted consecutive meetings at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi, reviewing the functioning of both ministries. During the meetings, the Union Minister also held a high-level discussion on the complaint portal. Senior officials, including Agriculture Secretary Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, were present at the meeting.

Officials reported that complaints are being received under various categories, including fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, PM-Fasal Bima Yojana, and the PM Kisan Portal, and serious efforts are being made to resolve them.

Most complaints relate to unavailability of fertilisers, high prices, poor-quality seeds, and Nano Urea tagging. These complaints are being categorised and addressed appropriately. In the case of pesticides, officials presented details of 150 complaints to the Union Minister. They informed that 120 cases have been acted upon, FIRs have been filed in 11 cases of counterfeit pesticides, licenses of 8 companies have been cancelled, and in 24 cases farmers were duly compensated based on complaints.

Shri Chouhan emphasised that a complaint should not be closed until the farmer is fully satisfied. After action is taken, officials should call the farmer to confirm satisfaction. If dissatisfaction remains, the matter should be re-investigated and resolved. He also stressed that definite timelines must be set for complaint resolution, ensuring that complaints are not left pending for long periods.

The Union Agriculture Minister instructed officials to identify states where complaints are high and action is slow, list them, and take feedback from these states in subsequent meetings. He further suggested honoring states and officers/employees who perform well in resolving complaints with certificates of appreciation, to encourage better performance across all states and staff.

Shri Chouhan also noted that serious complaints may require direct intervention by the Ministry for resolution. The proposal to have state nodal officers obtain direct feedback from farmers on 10 complaints daily was also discussed during the meeting.