(a) whether there have been persistent problems arising out of implementation of pan India e-Auctions of tea;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has held discussions with all concerned to sort out the issues; and
(d) if so, the deliberations made in the said meeting along with the decision taken for the smooth implementation of Pan India e-Auctions of Tea?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)
(a) to (d): The auction module of Pan India e-auction was rolled out successfully by Tea Board in June, 2016 across different auction centres of the country. There has not been any major problems with this module. The post auction settlement module was implemented from 14thSeptember, 2016. There have been some operational problems in this modulemainly relating to reconciliation of payment. Tea Board held a detailed deliberation with the stakeholders on 17th October, 2016 and decided to keep the post auction settlement process on hold with effect from 18th October, 2016. It has now been decided to select a new settlement banker.
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