In Chhattisgarh, the government has launched an intensive crackdown on illegal beneficiaries, who are using the free ration programme in urban areas. The food department identified hundreds of individuals who were taking advantage of benefits while having agricultural land or bank balances of lakhs of rupees in a verification drive in 48 municipal wards.
As per the officials, after the investigation, over 800 names have been struck off from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list. Ineligible beneficiaries listing has also been put up all around ration shops to make it transparent. The local people complained that for years the poor families had been receiving ration which was being diverted and sold in the open market. The probe has also found that some beneficiaries were able to secure ration cards with the backing of influential local leaders and public representatives.
Simultaneously, worries are also mounting on the poor condition of the seed processing centres in Bastar region. Certified seed centres set up by the government in Turenar and Tahakapal, close to Jagdalpur, have been lying idle for years, and have been heavily invested almost 15 years ago.
Now buildings and some machines are abandoned to rust and rot because the committees are not working and the management is weak.In the absence of working committees and weak management, now buildings and some machines are lying abandoned and rusting lakhs of rupees worth. Earlier farmers had been assured access to certified paddy seeds from local sources, but now they are forced to travel great distances to buy seeds from government corporations.
Experts in the agriculture field believe that certified seeds are a crucial factor in enhancing quality and yield of crops. In an attempt to revive the centres a few years ago, this plan never materialised. Now farmers and villagers are demanding the Government to resume the system before the Kharif season.