Discrepancies in drip irrigation scheme

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN Moviya (Rajkot district): 14 August/Pravin Thumar, a farmer in Moviya village of Gondal taluka, was surprised to see in the documents obtained under Right to Information Act that he has been given at 50 per cent subsidised rate under a state government scheme a set of drip irrigation equipment that included filter, main pipeline, sub main pipeline and a dripper. But in contrast, what he had actually received in 2002-03 were a few pipes from the scheme’s implementing agency. “Through the RTI application filed by a farmer we came to know that we have been shown as been given lateral, main pipeline, sub pipeline and dripper. In reality we were only given some pipes. There are a number of farmers in the village who have become a victim of the fraud like me,” Thumar said. The farmers have observed many discrepancies in the documents received under the Right to Information Act. “We assume the implementing agency to have fabricated the documents in the name of farmers to avail of government subsidies. Someone has made up my signature on the paper,” he alleged. “Under the government’s drip irrigation scheme, the farmers were required to pay 50 per cent of the cost of the equipment and the rest was subsidised by the state government. However, we have not been asked to pay a single rupee till now,” Dhirubhai Daduk, also a farmer, said. “The agency had collected the signatures of the farmers on the assurance that they will be given all the materials under the scheme,” said another farmer. “Three years ago an investigation was launched into the scam. The investigators were told that the farmers operated bank accounts in People’s Bank in Rajkot which was not true. The document reveal that the government had made the subsidy payment to the beneficiaries in various accounts with State Bank of Saurashtra,” said farmer Bhimji Rank of Moviya village.“Earlier, this drip irrigation scheme of integrated agriculture development scheme was handled by district agricultural department. Now it is handled by Green Revolution Company set up by the state government,’’ officials informed. Rasik Bhalala, a trustee of the NGO, Gagandhara Education and Charitable Trust, Gondal, the implementing agency of the scheme, said “These allegations are baseless and there is no truth in them. They may have either lost the equipment due to carelessness or sold them off."