Fertilizer fraud due to detention of officials in Assam
The CID said that due to the lapse of agriculture officials in the state, there was a fertilizer scam.
The CID said that due to the lapse of agriculture officials in the state, there was a fertilizer scam. The investigating agency also found several rackets involved in illegal fertilizer trade.
CID registered a criminal case in respect of Fertilizer/Urea Scam and conducted a thorough investigation.
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The investigation revealed that there is an Integrated Fertilizer Management System (IFMS) portal designed by the Ministry of Fertilizers and Chemicals to maintain the database of purchase, distribution and sale of urea.
“However, this is not done by the wholesalers or retailers in the state. The district agriculture officers, who oversee the data entry and conduct sample verification, have failed in their duties, leading to the scam.
The probe agency said the role of agriculture officers is also under investigation.
The CID raided various places in the districts of Morigaon, Kamrup, Darang, Cachar, Goalpara etc., arrested many people and confiscated the trucks. The investigation revealed that “both wholesalers and retailers were selling fertilisers/urea at exorbitant rates.
Retailers are bound to sell urea only to farmers in their panchayat areas, but they sell urea to others outside their jurisdiction and those who are not farmers. As a result, ineligible persons buy urea to deprive the genuine farmers of that local area to hoard and divert stocks.
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The investigation also revealed that some retailers are hoarding stock to create artificial shortage and then selling the stock at exorbitant prices.
Further, the retailers are prudently selling the fertilizers to the traders/middlemen who ship the fertilizer stock to the neighboring states/countries.
The investigation report said that the CID had formed several teams for search and stock verification at various places in the state.
“The day-to-day investigation is going on under the strict supervision of senior officers,” the inquiry report said.
Fertilizer fraud due to detention of officials in Assam
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
