Fraud in Central schemes: HC orders agriculture secy to probe

Taking up a public interest petition by Fazilka's farmers, Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday ordered the state's principal secretary for agriculture to find out if the Punjab government had defrauded intended beneficiaries of crores of rupees in subsidy under the Centre's National Food Security Mission and other projects.

Taking up a public interest petition by Fazilka's farmers, Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday ordered the state's principal secretary for agriculture to find out if the Punjab government had defrauded intended beneficiaries of crores of rupees in subsidy under the Centre's National Food Security Mission and other projects.

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Based on a petition by Shalinder Singh and others of Abohar tehsil, the court gave the principal secretary three months to decide on the May 31 legal notice from the petitioners. If any bungling in the schemes comes to light, the secretary must take action, the HC said.

The petitioners had asked for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look for the evidence of fraud in the list of beneficiaries that dealers under the National Food Security Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, Micro Management Work Plan Scheme, and State Plan Scheme had prepared.

The dealer and the state officials had connived to add bogus names to the lists, claimed farmers.

The Central government had sent in the money to give farmers subsidy on the wheat, paddy, and pulse seeds.