Relief under Bhavantar Yojana going to scamsters, not farmers

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, September 14

A scam has been detected in the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY) — meant to compensate farmers in case of a crash in market prices below the MSP — in several bajra-producing districts, including Bhiwani, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Jhajjar and Palwal.

Modus operandi

• ”Fard” of the farm land available online is used to perpetrate the scam. The accused register bajra crop in their name on the MFMB. Later, they produce the MFMB record, along with J-form (generated after selling the crop), to claim compensation under Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY)
• The victim farmer has no idea that relief has been claimed against his land.
• Crop record is verified by the patwari (revenue department), agriculture department and report of the Haryana Space Applications Centre. Ram Kanwar, an agriculture activist, says, “It must be probed how these people evade verification.”
• A compensation of about Rs 500 per quintal is given to a farmer selling produce below MSP (Rs 2,500 per quintal) in the market.
• This amount goes to the bank account of the farmer/person registered on the MFMB portal as “kaastkaar”.

Earlier this year, some farmers of Chahar Kalan village in Bhiwani district had informed the police and higher authorities about the scam, but no action was taken. As a result, the scamsters continue to operate with impunity, causing a loss of crores to the exchequer, at the cost of farmers.

Surender Singh of Bhariwas village in Bhiwani district was shocked when he recently found that his bajra fields were registered in the name of a person from Nuh district on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal of the agriculture department.

“When I contacted the person on the mobile number given on the MFMB site, he assured me that he would remove the registration on my land. I have raised the grievance with the Agriculture Department, and also reported the matter to the higher authorities,” he said.

There are several such complaints, where bajra was registered on the portal during the kharif season in the name of unknown persons, not linked with landowners or kastkar (tenant farmer).

Dr Ram Kanwar, an agriculture activist, said some farmers of Chahar Kalan, Dariyapur, Miran and Mandoli Kalan villages exposed the scam in March when they learnt that compensation had been released against their bajra fields. “Acting on their complaint, the Rohtak unit of the CM’s flying squad investigated the matter and got a criminal case registered in Bhiwani district against 185 persons who took benefit under the BBY. Five more FIRs were registered in Bhiwani and other districts.”

However, he said, the scamsters were still operating.