Agri Deptt permanently black-lists 4 cos over supply of sub-standard materials
| Date :20-May-2019 |
By Kartik Lokhande:
Agriculture Department of Maharashtra Government has permanently black-listed four companies over supply of sub-standard materials under the Prime Minister’s special relief package for Vidarbha farmers in 2006 and later. State Government has asked Agriculture Department not to place orders to these companies. These companies are as follows: M/s Dharaskar Engineering Works, Murtijapur, Akola; M/s Jagdamba Agro Engineering, Aurangabad Road, Jalna; M/s Vijay Williams Company, Southern Agro Engine Pvt Ltd, Chennai; and M/s Southern Agro through Ambika Engineers, Goregaon (East), Mumbai. Umesh Chandiwade, Desk Officer, Mantralaya, has issued orders in this regard on May 16, 2019. These companies had supplied materials to Agriculture Department for distribution to farmers included under the Prime Minister’s relief package announced in 2006 for distressed farmers in six districts of Vidarbha region. These districts included Wardha, Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim, and Buldhana.
These companies had been black-listed for two years in 2010. However, when State Legislative Assembly’s Assurance Committee examined the implementation of the special package for Vidarbha farmers, among other observations, it stated that these companies could have supplied sub-standard material even after passage of two years of black-listing. Hence, it had suggested, these companies should be black-listed permanently. Accordingly, after several years, now the Agriculture Department has decided to place these four companies in black-list permanently. The farmers were provided financial aid under the special package. Under the scheme, 60,000 farmers in the above-mentioned six districts were to get Rs 25,000/- aid for three years.
The Government had made available Rs 150 crore for the purpose. Also, there were several components of the scheme including land reforms, distribution of agricultural inputs, modified tools, pair of bullocks, paid of he-buffalos, inwell boring, repairs of old wells, providing pipelines and pumpsets etc. Of a total Rs 149.98 crore received from the Government, an amount of Rs 148.16 crore was utilised. However, there were allegations that sub-standard materials were provided to farmers under the scheme.
Taking cognisance, the Government had constituted a three-member committee headed by Dr Gopal Reddy, Managing Director, Maharashtra Horticulture and Medicinal Plants Board, in 2007 to conduct probe into the matter. The committee submitted its report to the Government in 2008, and found that some stock of the materials supplied by the four companies was sub-standard. The said four companies were asked to replace the sub-standard and faulty material supplied. However, the companies did not act despite repeated reminders. Hence, on July 31, 2010, the Government had black-listed these companies from supplying materials to Agriculture Department.