The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak here today at Dana Mandi took stock of the procurement operations and said that the procurement of Wheat continues uninterruptedly in the mandis of the State and till now more than 24 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) produce out of 28 LMT arrival, has been procured.

Initiating the procurement of the produce of farmer Jaila hailing from village Basti, the Minister accompanied by MLA Jasvir Singh Raja Gill, said that robust arrangements have been made in the mandis regarding procurement to ensure the farmers encounter no difficulty in selling their crops.

As per the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed at Rs. 2585 Per Quintal, an amount of Rs. 647 Crore has been credited into the accounts of farmers. The State Government is fully committed to procure every single Grain produced by the farmers and as part of this commitment, payments are being made to the farmers within 48 hours of the procurement with lifting also picking up pace.

The Minister while directing the concerned officers of the procurement agencies to make sure that the farmers encounter no hassle in the mandis, divulged further that the necessary arrangements with regard to the Bardana, Labour and Transportation have been ensured in the mandis. He also appealed to the farmers to desist from burning wheat stubble and instead go for managing the stubble in the fields itself through usage of the machinery made available by the Agriculture Department.

Regarding making good the losses caused to the crops in the past few days due to the unseasonal rain, the Minister said that specifical girdawari has been ordered and the State Government would make good the loss suffered by the farmers.

The MLA Jasvir Singh Raja Gill said that the Punjab Government would ensure hassle free procurement and prompt lifting of the produce like previous year. He also said that the State Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has always catered to the interests of farmers and is ensuring timely payments after the procurement of Wheat. He also gave instructions to the administrative officials to ensure timely procurement in the mandis.

In Hoshiarpur, 78 mandis have been set up out of which 65 are permanent while the rest 13 are temporary. The District expects 316000 MT of Wheat arrival.

Among others present on the occasion included the SDM Lovepreet Singh, Chairman Market Committee Rajwinder Singh, Secretary Market Committee Harpreet Singh, Deputy Director Food supply Rajnish Kumari and the DFSC Preetkamal Sood.

The road from Patiala to Sangrur is not very long on a map. But for one man, it stretched into something far heavier, measured not in kilometres, but in fear, silence, and the weight of a son watching his mother slip away.

Each trip marked another hospital visit. Another set of test results. Another bill to be paid.
For Gurpinder Jeet Singh, a driver in Patiala, recent months have meant repeated hospital visits, rising medical bills and uncertainty over his mother’s health.

His 65-year-old mother, Baljit Kaur, was diagnosed with uterine cancer after initially experiencing weakness and loss of appetite. “She gradually stopped eating. Even drinking water became difficult,” he said.

After visits to local clinics, she was referred to Rajindra Hospital, where tests confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment began soon after, but costs mounted quickly.

“In the first few weeks, we spent over ₹60,000,” Gurpinder said. “As a driver, arranging more money was difficult. I started thinking about loans and selling belongings.”

Doctors advised chemotherapy followed by surgery, depending on her response. As consultations continued across hospitals, Gurpinder learned about the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.

“Someone at the hospital mentioned it. I didn’t believe it at first, but I checked and completed the formalities,” he said.
After verification, the family was enrolled under the scheme, which provides cashless treatment across various government and empanelled private hospitals. Health officials said the programme aims to expand access to treatment across income groups, requiring only basic identification for enrolment.

Following registration, Baljit Kaur continued chemotherapy and later underwent surgery. Doctors noted that uninterrupted treatment was crucial. Doctors agree that when care isn’t delayed due to financial constraints, outcomes improve. She underwent around 12 chemotherapy sessions before an eight-hour surgery. She remained in the ICU on ventilator support for several days before stabilising.
“She was in the ICU for days. We just waited outside,” Gurpinder said.

She was later discharged after further observation and is now recovering at home, with gradual improvement, family members said.

Gurpinder estimates the total cost of treatment, including chemotherapy, surgery, ICU stay and medicines, would have been ₹8–10 lakh. Most expenses were covered under the scheme, though some medicines were purchased separately due to non-availability at the hospital.

“The biggest relief is that we didn’t have to stop treatment because of money,” he said.
For the family, the experience highlights both the strain of serious illness and the role of government healthcare support in easing financial burden.

Today, Baljit Kaur is back home, recovering slowly. The treatment, worth almost more than ₹8 lakh, was covered. Chemotherapy. Surgery. ICU. Medicines. Even hospital stay. Gurpinder still paid for a few medicines outside, those that were not available at the hospital, but the mountain he once faced had, somehow, been lifted.

Baljit Kaur is now recovering. She eats a little more. Speaks a little more. Lives a little more.
The journey from Patiala to Sangrur is still the same distance.

But for this family, and probably many more, it became the road where despair met dignity, relief, and the return of hope.