The Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Association has sought a CBI investigation into the allleged swindling of ₹900 crore in the name of farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme in Tamil Nadu.
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In a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party State president K. Annamalai during his recent visit to Kumbakonam Assembly constituency as part of his En Mann, En Makkal Yathirai, association secretary Sundara Vimalanathan pointed out that around ₹900 crore had been credited in the accounts of non-farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme in Tamil Nadu between 2019 and 2021.
Pointing out that only about 15% of the embezzled amount had been recovered by officials so far, he urged the Centre to initiate a CBI probe into the scam and recover the pilfered amount.
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He demanded that the officials involved in the implementation of the 100% Central government-sponsored scheme should be brought to book since the “non-beneficiaries” could not have received ₹6,000 annually without their support. At the same time, he sought the inclusion of 1.20 crore tenant farmers in the scheme and enhancement of the annual financial support to ₹12,000 from ₹6,000.
Sugarcane order
Seeking necessary amendments in the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966, to protect the interests of farmers, he sought the waiver of education loans taken by farmers for their wards.
He urged the Centre to take steps for “surprise raids” by the CBI at the direct procurement centres during the “samba” procurement in Tamil Nadu because farmers were made to shell out around ₹625 crore every season to get their produce measured at the DPC operated by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, though the burden of disbursement of entire sale proceeds amount had been taken care of by the Food Corporation of India.