TV
In a major development, the Odisha government has issued show cause notices to over one lakh farmers for allegedly submitting false information during the registration process for the Rabi season of the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25.
According Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Department, 1, 81,684 non-paddy plots were registered as paddy fields by thousands of farmers, thereby violating procurement eligibility rules.
The FS&CW Department flagged these irregularities after verifying registration data, suggesting deliberate misinformation by the applicants.
Meanwhile, the farmers in question have been served show cause notices, directing them to provide an explanation within seven days of receiving the notice. If they fail to respond, their registered land will be disqualified from paddy procurement for one year.
The Registrar of Cooperative Societies has already directed all Deputy Registrars to take immediate action, enclosing letters from the Cooperation Department and FS&CW Department outlining the procedural steps.
The crackdown has stirred panic among farmers, especially those who had falsely registered without cultivating paddy during the Rabi season. Many are now at risk of being blacklisted from government procurement schemes.
However, the action has sparked a backlash from farmer organisations. They question how the registration process passed through cooperative societies and procurement agencies without proper verification.
If farmers are to be held accountable, then what about the officers responsible for verifying the land details? Why were checks not conducted before approvals?, questioned the farmers' union.
