BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJP on Saturday demanded an impartial probe into a major scam in Odisha Khadi and Gramadyog Board (OKGB).
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly on Saturday, Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Nayak alleged that price of beehive kit distributed to bee keepers was increased and false bills prepared to misappropriate crores of rupees.
Nayak said the Board approved fake quotations mentioning the price of each beehive kit at Rs 30,000, though the cost was only Rs 1,000. He said 2400 beehive kits were distributed to 480 beekeepers.
The OKGB under the MSME department had trained 1200 beekeepers last year out of whom 480 were given the kits.
Stating that the OKGB received Rs 86 crore from both the state government and the Centre’s Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) between 2014 and 2017, Naik alleged that funds have been misappropriated during the period by those who were in charge of the Board.
Referring to a written reply of then MSME Minister Prafulla Samal in Assembly on July 15, 2017, Nayak said OKGB had received Rs 39.94 crore from the state government and Rs 46.28 crore from the KVIC in three financial years from 2014 to 2017.
Nayak also alleged that there had been corruption in the name of imparting training to beekeepers.
“False bills were prepared in the name of fake bee farmers,” he claimed and added that crores of rupees have been misappropriated in the name of some “benami” advertisement agencies and consultancy companies.
However, during the three year period the Board did business of only Rs 3.58 crore by sale of Khadi dress and clothes, he said.
The BJP member urged Speaker SN Patro to instruct the Minister concerned to make a statement on the issue on the OKGB scam and order an impartial probe into the matter.
He alleged that the state government has turned a blind eye to the huge corruption as state-run boards and corporations have become rehabilitation centres for the ruling party leaders.