A vigilance investigation into an alleged Rs 150 crore scam in the distribution of agricultural residue management machinery under the previous government has been ordered by Punjab's Minister of Agriculture, Kuldeep Dhaliwal.
The Punjab government implemented the Central Sector Scheme on Promotion of Agriculture Mechanization for In-situ Management of Crop Residue (CRM) from the year 2018–19 to the year 2021–22, according to information provided in this regard by the Agriculture Minister.
According to him, from 2018–19 to the 2021–22 fiscal years, beneficiaries including farmers, registered farmer organizations, cooperative societies, FPOs, and panchayats received a total of 90,422 different machines. The Department of Agriculture supplied 83,986 of these equipment, and the remaining machines came from the registered cooperative societies.
After receiving a complaint about the machines, the department physically verified them in June and July as instructed by the Enforcement Directorate. Super-straw management systems, happy seeders, super seeders, paddy straw choppers, reversible plows, zero till drills, balers, rakes and shrub-master are a few of the subsidized machinery given to the farmers.
By August 16, 2022, 79,295 of the 83,986 machines delivered by the department had been physically verified, or 94.4% of all the machines, according to the agriculture minister. A total of 11,275 machines (or 13% of all certified machines) are not available to the beneficiaries.
According to Dhaliwal, the department's early inquiry indicates that around 125 to 150 crore rupees were improperly spent. He has commanded a thorough inquiry so that legal action can be taken against the offenders.