NEW DELHI: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that the government does not tolerate irregularities and corruption and will promptly take action against the guilty.
Chouhan was responding to the question by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha about allegations of `5,000 crore worth graft in Maharashtra’s agriculture department.
“I am hearing it for the first time. I don’t know what the real position is. But if there is any irregularity, we will conduct an inquiry and act against the guilty,” Chouhan said.
RTI activist Anjali Damani alleged that there was a `88 -crore ‘scam’ in the department when NCP leader Dhananjay Munde held the agriculture portfolio. Damania claimed that agriculture machinery and equipment were bought for farmers at inflated costs.
On a question related to farmers of the flood-prone border regions of Bihar, Chouhan talked of implementing the e-NAM scheme with the support of the state government and invited proposals from the latter.
Referring to the agriculture insurance scheme, the minister said so far, 23 states and UTs have implemented the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, while the rest are yet to accept it.
Chouhan also said PM Narendra Modi’s priority was to increase the income of farmers. “India is the top country in coconut production. We have been able to increase the coconut production from 143 to 153 LMT in a short period,” he said.