Express impact: Jharkhand govt forms panel to probe irrigation scheme irregularities

In an investigation spanning a month-and-a-half, The Indian Express had visited 94 farmers in one of Jharkhand’s largest blocks — Chouparan in Hazaribagh — and two neighbouring blocks Churchu and Ichak, and found that for most, benefits of the scheme were only on paper. Among the findings of the investigation were misuse of Aadhaar cards to create beneficiaries, new equipment gathering dust, and some farmers not even aware that money had been collected by private companies in their name.

Referring to the investigation, the BJP MP from Hazaribagh and former Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha tweeted: “We have been continuously highlighting the despicable corruption and the administrative decay in Jharkhand under the Hemant Soren government.” He further wrote that the Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner must take “strict action”.

In a letter to the Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner Friday, Jharkhand Agriculture Secretary Abu Bakr Siddiqui wrote: “… attaching the photocopy of the edition of The Indian Express newspaper dated June 8, 2023… The news published in the newspaper seems to be of very serious nature… there are widespread irregularities reported in the newspaper in the implementation of drip irrigation system under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojna. It has been mentioned that in several blocks of Hazaribagh district – Chauparan, Churchu and Ichak – Aadhaar card and government funds are being misused in the implementation of this scheme… By not installing drip irrigation equipment by the implementing agency, it has been dumped at the beneficiary’s house. In such a situation, high-level investigation is necessary.”

The four-member panel is headed by a sub-divisional officer and three members of the horticulture, sugarcane and agriculture departments.

Agriculture Director Chandan Kumar, when contacted, said: “We have initiated an inquiry into the granular details. We will file FIRs against erring officials, and on the fudging of Aadhaar data. We will inquire if the companies are also responsible for wrongdoing, and if found guilty, we will blacklist them and also send data to the central government for further action.”

In the course of its investigation, The Indian Express had found that only 17 of the 94 farmers listed as beneficiaries of the scheme were actually using drip irrigation. As many as 60 said they were “misled” into signing up for the scheme or had micro-irrigation equipment just dumped in their farms, and 17 said they did not know how their name made it to the list of beneficiaries. The investigation also focused on how the four-step verification process to ensure the scheme’s implementation had fallen flat under the watch of the state agriculture department, and was rigged by middlemen, who acting on behalf of companies, enrolled farmers as beneficiaries.