In a first, UP government will purchase potatoes directly from farmers

The UP government has decided to directly purchase potatoes from farmers to avoid wastage due to shortage of cold storage. This was decided in the second cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The Centre supported this move of the UP government and has approved the procurement of 1 lakh metric tonne (MT) of potatoes in the state under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) during 2016-17 crop year (JulyJune). The purchase will be made at Rs 4,870 per MT. This move will also save farmers from incurring loss. The cabinet also approved agreement on 24x7 power supply for which MoU was signed between UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and  Union power minister Piyush Goyal. The government also gave nod to short term mining to plug the shortfall of sand and building material. Efforts are being taken to check the spread of Japanese Encephalitis and to increase beds in hospitals. The UP government also plans to make roads across the state pothole free bu June 15. The UP government spokesman Siddarth Nath Singh said that the government has sanctioned Rs 4,502 crore for making 85,943 km of roads identified to be made pothole free.The PWD will also repair 3,100 km of national highway .