Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao today said that cashless transactions would soon be implemented in agriculture and farmer markets from December 10 onwards in the entire State.
The minister conducted a review meeting of the Marketing Department on Thursday with the concerned officials. Speaking on the occasion, Rao exhorted officials to enforce cashless transactions among farmers effectively.
He opined that cashless transactions would eradicate hoarding in markets and increase transparency.
The marketing department had a turnover of Rs. 35,000 crores each year, he said.
The department was working for the benefit of lakhs of farmers in the State, Rao said. And so there was a need to train staff members to help the transition. Banks including ICICI would train them.
He also asked market committees to adopt cashless policies like the Warangal market that was implementing the same. He asked officials to make market workers like 'dawais', 'hamalies' and others to open bank accounts, and provide them with debit cards.
Harish Rao also directed officials to open micro ATMs in market yards and pay farmers, who had bank accounts, through the RTGS.