Ex-CM can’t wash hands of machinery scam: Minister

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, August 18

In the Rs 1,178 crore agriculture machinery scam the trouble is brewing for former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh as Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Kuldeep Dhaliwal today said the former CM could not wash his hands of the scam.

While talking to The Tribune, he said Captain Amarinder held the agriculture portfolio for close to five years, when the scam took place. “It is the responsibility of the minister of the department concerned to check corruption and ensure fair distribution of subsidies. In this case, it was the responsibility of Captain Amarinder Singh,” he said.

The missing machines

• Between 2018-19 and 2021-22, a total of 90,422 crop residual management machines were provided to the beneficiary farmers/registered farmer groups/cooperative societies/FPOs
• In all, 11,275 machines, worth Rs 150 crore, were found missing.

“Now, I am in-charge of the Agriculture Department, if something goes grossly wrong, being minister in-charge, it will be my responsibility,” said Dhaliwal.

He said the AAP government would conduct a fair investigation into the scam and nobody would be spared irrespective of his position. To control stubble burning, the Centre had provided Rs 1,178 crore subsidy in four years (2018-19 to 2021-22) to farmers for individual buying as well as setting up the machinery banks for crop residual (stubble) management under the In-Situ Crop Residue Management Scheme.

A series of stories done by The Tribune, had highlighted that how a large number of these beneficiaries remained on paper and the subsidy amount was embezzled by officials in connivance with local leaders. The Punjab Government on July 1 ordered the audit and physical verification of each machine purchased across the state with the Centre’s subsidy.

Attempts to contact Captain Amarinder Singh remained futile.