Saturday, 16 June 2012

Godapani murder stirs up agriculture department subsidy scam


GUWAHATI: The murder case of the agriculture department's superintendent engineer, Godapani Pathak, who was abducted and killed more than a month ago, is yet to be closed. It has, in fact, blown the lid off a subsidy scam in distribution of farm machinery in the department.
"There is a subsidy scam going on in the agriculture department. The government provides subsidies on machinery like tractors, power tillers and pump sets for farmers, but the benefits do not reach the beneficiaries. On paper the subsidies are doled out but there are no lists of beneficiaries," a source said.
Pathak was inquiring into anomalies in the subsidies given on farm machinery in Dhubri district.
The source added, "It is suspected that the machinery is sold in the open market for a price slightly lower than the actual cost, but the subsidies are never transferred to the buyers," the source said.
The agriculture department has now asked all its district offices to submit list of beneficiaries of subsidized power tillers, hand pump sets and other farm machinery. The source added that the department is also now examining the volume of the subsidy scam and several officials are scanner.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi has said on record that the investigation so far points towards involvement of some officials of the agriculture department in the murder of Pathak through hired killers from Kamatapur Liberation Organization.
The agriculture department's rules binds farmers legally not to sell subsidized farm machinery after procuring them from the department. The rules say that the district agriculture officer will sanction the application of farmers for farm machinery and arrange the procurement and supply. After the machinery is commissioned, the agriculture department will arrange for release of payment.
Under the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP), the state gives 50% subsidy each on shallow tube wells, low-lift pump, 30% on tractors, power tillers, 80% on sprinkler irrigation.
Original Article Here

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