Nayagarh: Nine employees were suspended and five data entry operators (DEO) were shown the door in the last three years following charges of corruption and irregularities in registering farmers’ names and paddy procurement by the primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) in Nayagarh district.
However, the reinstatement of two suspended employees has exposed the chinks in the administration’s efforts to end irregularities. There are 157 primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) in the district.
Every year, the allegations of corruption surface, prompting the administration to take action against those found guilty. In the last three years, eight PACS secretaries and one Grade IV employee were suspended, while five data entry operators were axed.
Of the eight suspended PACS secretaries one has died and two others have been reinstated. Meanwhile, it has been alleged that the administration seems to be resting on its laurels after taking action against some corrupt officers and employees.
Cashing in on the inertia of the administration, the suspended officers and employees have already started pulling wires to get reinstated, and some are said to be successful in their endeavours.
Meanwhile, no meeting has been held for the appraisal of the PACS in the last two years. The purpose of these meetings is to bring in transparency in paddy procurement. The last meeting was scheduled to be held in 2019-20, but was cancelled.
The district Collector did not convene any meeting in 2020-21 also citing the Covid-19 pandemic situation as a reason. These meetings were to be held under the chairmanship of the district Collector.
The district-level squads, which are formed to investigate into corruption allegations, would have presented their reports at these meetings.
With the meetings having been cancelled, the findings of these squads did not come to the fore. Given the situation, the number of fake farmers has substantially increased in the last three years.
Acting hand in glove with millers, secretaries of paddy procurement centres and paddy dealers, these fake farmers are earning in lakhs of rupees using the names of genuine farmers. Even before a genuine farmer is aware of the bungling, paddy is sold in his name.
The sharecroppers are unable to learn about these irregularities. Some unscrupulous officials even show barren lands, ponds and government lands as irrigated lands to earn illegally during the paddy procurement period.
During the three years, many sharecroppers and genuine farmers did get the chance to sell their produce. Even some large farmers are known to be in the same boat.
ARCS Bhashkar Chandra Panigrahi said that the allegations regarding irregularities in paddy procurement and farmers’ registration are being investigated.
Actions are also being taken against those found guilty. Nine employees have been suspended and five DEOs have been sacked.
PNN