Punjab Farmers to Get Stubble Management Machinery Subsidies Only After Physical Verification

The central government has taken steps to scrutinize all stubble management machinery purchased by farmers in Punjab from 2022-23 to 2023-24.

The verification process started on October 25, and the teams have been deployed in 12 districts with a total of 16 teams. The state government is now required to contribute 40 percent of the subsidy cost for machine purchases, and subsidies will only be disbursed after the completion of physical verification of the machinery acquired through the scheme.

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Jaswant Singh, the Director of Agriculture, disclosed that two central teams have been designated to scrutinize machine acquisitions in Moga, Ferozepur, Muktsar, and Bathinda districts, with one team each conducting inspections in eight additional districts as specified by the Centre. This verification effort is a direct response to the prior machinery purchase scandal that had a significant impact on the state.

The machinery was supposed to be provided to farmers for free under the Crop Residue Management Scheme, but corrupt officials embezzled the funds by submitting fake bills. As a result, 11,000 out of the 90,000 machines that were supposed to be provided to farmers are missing.

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The government allocated Rs 1,178 crore to the state for this program. Each team verifies the purchases is contacting around 30 beneficiaries and checking the machinery bought for stubble management. The villages chosen for inspection by the central teams are picked randomly, without informing the state authorities. After finishing the physical checks, a detailed report will be sent to the government.

To tackle the problem, changes were made to the subsidy rules. The subsidy amount of Rs 350 crore earmarked for 2023-24 will be released based on the verification report provided by the Centre.

Now, the state government has to pitch in 40 percent of the subsidy cost for machine purchases, and subsidies will only be given out after the machinery bought through the program is physically verified.

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