E-Paper
Paddy seed scam: Jagraon farmer arrested for mass producing PAU seeds
Multiplied seeds of new varieties, sold them further to a private store in Ludhiana
A Jagraon-based farmer, who is one of the key members of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Kisan Club, has been arrested in connection with the paddy seed scam.
The accused, identified as Baljinder Singh Bhundri, was provided the newly developed PR 128 and PR 129 varieties of paddy seeds last year by PAU to assess the results as part of a trial.
However, he used the resultant crop to mass produce more seeds and sold them to Brar Seeds Store in Ludhiana without authorisation, the police said.
Confirming the arrest, commissioner of police (CP) Rakesh Agrawal said the accused owned 34 acres in Bhundari village, Jagraon. The accused is a member of the farmers association formed by PAU to share information about new seeds and techniques.
“Him selling the seeds further is illegal as seeds cannot be sold in the open market unless certified by the Central Seed Notified Committee,” said Narinder Singh Benipal, chief agriculture officer, Ludhiana.
The officer said the accused multiplied Truthfully Labelled (TL) seeds by cultivating the crop in South India and then supplied the seeds of PR 128 and PR 129 varieties to Brar Seed Store owner Harwinder Singh, alias Kaka Brar, 56, for Rs 80 per kg. He also sold the seeds to M/S Karnal Agri Seeds.
“Taking advantage of the Covid-19 situation, Harwinder sold the seeds to farmers for anywhere between Rs 200 and 250 per kg, nearly three times more than the actual price. He even home delivered the seeds to farmers,” Benipal said.
Bhundri has been booked under Sections 3, 8 and 9 of the Seed Control Order Act, Sections 2, 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act and Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
Harwinder was already arrested on May 31 after the paddy seeds sold by his store failed the germination test conducted by PAU. He was sent to two-day police remand on June 1.
BLACKLISTED BY PAU
As per the protocol, TS Riar, associate director, Skill Development Centre, PAU, said the farmer will be blacklisted, banning his entry in the university. PAU on Tuesday also issued an advisory, urging farmers to safeguard bills of their seed, fertiliser and pesticide purchases.
STATE-LEVEL SIT FORMED
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta on Tuesday constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to get to the bottom of the racket across all districts in the state.
This SIT, headed by headed by ADGP Punjab Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) Naresh Arora, will take over the investigations conducted by the Ludhiana SIT so far, and will also look into any similar complaints in future.
1,900 STORES INSPECTED
Additional chief secretary (development) Viswajeet Khanna said following inspections at 1,900 seed dealerships, 12 were found selling seeds without authorisation, and their licences had been revoked. Their stores have also been sealed.
