BATHINDA, April 5 -- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that notwithstanding the ongoing strike by the arhtiyas or commission agents, the state government would rope in cooperative societies to ensure smooth procurement of wheat in the current rabi marketing season.

Addressing a public gathering in Moga, the CM said his government would not succumb to the tactics of a section of arhtiyas to "blackmail" the Punjab government.

As the wheat procurement season officially started on April 1, arhtiyas across the state announced a strike demanding the restoration of the percentage-based commission.

The decision was feared to disrupt procurement operations and cause hardship to both farmers and the state machinery.

Mann today said ...