Financial Fiasco Uncovered: RTI Exposes Shady Seed Procurement Practices in Agriculture Department
A Large-Scale Scam Exposed at Assam’s Agriculture Department: Funds Misused for Undelivered Black Gram Seeds
A recent RTI inquiry has revealed a massive financial discrepancy within Assam’s Agriculture Department, exposing alleged fraudulent payments for undelivered black gram seeds worth 7,592 kg. According to the inquiry, officials paid Salasar Agro Services, a Guwahati-based firm, for 20,000 kg of seeds, but only received 12,408 kg, resulting in a significant loss of public funds.
The seeds were intended for distribution to farmers in Golaghat district as part of state agricultural initiatives. However, the department’s Director of Agriculture ordered 20,000 kg of Black Gram Kota URD4 seeds for Golaghat, with a deadline of March 26, 2023. Despite this, the Golaghat APART nodal officer received only 12,408 kg on March 25, 2023. The department paid Salasar Agro Services for the entire 20,000 kg, raising concerns about the procurement process.
Further investigation revealed inflated procurement costs, with the seeds purchased at Rs 159 per kg, greatly exceeding the market rate of approximately Rs 80 per kg. This excessive payment has resulted in a significant financial loss for the state government.
Activist Dilip Nath, of Dhekiajuli, uncovered the scam through an RTI application, alleging that the department, under Agriculture Minister Atul Borah, overpaid Salasar Agro Services. Nath has accused Minister Borah of enabling corruption, stating, “Instead of doubling farmers’ income, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Borah’s actions have set back their progress.” He has demanded an immediate investigation into the matter and stricter oversight of procurement processes to prevent similar irregularities.
This scandal has sparked widespread outrage among farmers and stakeholders, with many calling for a high-level inquiry into the misuse of public funds meant for agricultural development. The revelation has also raised concerns over the appointment of Jiban Krishna Biswas, a statistical officer, as General Manager (Production) of Assam Seed Corporation, with some questioning his lack of required expertise for the position.
Assam’s Agriculture Minister Atul Borah has been at the center of the controversy, with criticism mounting over his leadership’s alleged role in enabling corruption within the department. As the state government works to unravel the web of corruption, it remains to be seen whether concrete action will be taken against those involved and if reforms will be implemented to prevent such scams in the future.
This article has been categorised under Assam, Northeast News, and Top News, and can be accessed with the following tags: #Assam #NortheastNews #TopNews #AgricultureScam #Corruption #GovernmentAccountability #RuralDevelopment #FarmersRights.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/assam-rti-exposes-financial-irregularities-in-agriculture-depts-seeds-procurement.html
Category : Assam,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2025-03-17 23:16:00
