Keonjhar: Large-scale irregularities were allegedly committed in funds disbursal to farmer-beneficiaries under a watershed scheme in several villages under Jhumpura block in Keonjhar district.
The farmers have taken up the issue with the district administration. According to reports, scores of farmers of Sitarampur, Gobindapur and Baliposi villages made a written complaint about the financial wrongdoings in the scheme.
In the complaint, they stated that in September 2019, some functionaries of the Watershed Committee had assured the farmers that Rs 5,000 each will be deposited in the bank account of each farmer in these villages.
The functionaries, on the assurance of fiscal benefits, had taken the photocopies of the farmers’ land records, Aadhaar, bank passbooks and other details.
However, the farmers have not received any money till date in their bank accounts.
Surprisingly, some farmers who have not given their documents and some non-farmers have received Rs 3,000 each in their bank accounts.
The farmers who received money are Chittaranjan Mohant, Keshab Mohant, Nabin Mohant and Babul Mohant of Sitarampur; Sabha Mohant, Hiranya Mahakud, Dibakar Mohant, Purnachandra Mohant and Sagar Mohant of Gobindapur; and Saphal Mohant of Baliposi.
Another serious allegation made by the farmers is that the functionaries of the Watershed Committee called them to the bank and took away their money.
Farmers in these areas came to know that funds have been provided under the scheme.
When the members of the Watershed Committee were asked what happened to the funds meant farmers, the former pleaded their innocence.
Farmers asserted that there has been a huge scam in the scheme and demanded a high level probe into the irregularities.
PNN
