Punsup in debt, Punjab govt decides to merge it with Pungrain

Chandigarh, August 7

The Punjab Government has decided to merge the Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation (Punsup) with the Punjab State Grains Procurement Corporation (Pungrain). The decision has been taken in view of the ever-mounting debt on Punsup.

Sources in the state Food and Civil Supplies Department told The Tribune that the issue would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting.

A Cabinet agenda in this regard has been prepared.

The state Food and Civil Supplies Department has already started the process to evaluate the assets of Punsup, which includes its offices and the foodgrain storage facilities.

It has been learnt that over the past 15 years, the agency has been accumulating a lot of debt, mainly because of funding a highly subsidised atta-dal scheme.

Sources said the decision was taken after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government directed all administrative secretaries to identify such departments/government entities that could be merged, so as to reduce the financial burden on the state government.