Fake farmer raises the dead to sell paddy in Sundargarh

ROURKELA: As paddy procurement gains pace in Sundargarh district, fake farmers usurping identity of the genuine ones are found to be making the most of it. At least 19 instances have come to fore where ineligible people have registered themselves as farmers and benefiting from the minimum support price (MSP). In one case, a dead farmer’s identity and records were used.

The 19 fraudulent practices have been detected from paddy procurement centres under Mohulpali large and multipurpose cooperative society (LAMPCS) at Tasladihi gram panchayat in Tangarpali block. A well-knit racket allegedly involving a few officials of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare and Revenue departments, LAMPCS and traders is in place to do the deals. 

As per the new procurement norms, introduced in 2018, farmers are required to register themselves for the procurement process in their respective areas after submitting personal details and land records. Basing on information provided by the farmers, sale tokens are issued to them in which the quantity and dates of sale of their produce are mentioned. 

Sources said, one Vedvyas Tanti, posing as relative of a farmer, Jiten Kerketta used the latter’s record of land measuring 16 acre to register for the procurement. He fraudulently sold around 184.94 quintal paddy at MSP in December and Rs 3.94 lakh was credited to his bank account. Jiten’s son, Jerome, now says that Tanti forged his father’s documents to register as a farmer. 

Similarly, one Bisweswar Mahanandia got himself registered as a sharecropper and used the identity and documents of Manglu Majhi of Talsadihi and fraudulently sold around 220 quintal paddy for which Rs 3.73 lakh was credited to his bank account. 

Interestingly, Manglu died long back leaving behind 16 acre of land for his five sons. One of them, Laxman said he along with his four brothers cultivate the land and had never registered themselves for the procurement process. 

Sources said the modus operandi of the persons involved in the racket is to use land record details of unsuspecting farmers for registration. They purchase paddy for Rs 1,100-Rs 1,200 per quintal from farmers who do not register for the procurement process and sell it at MSP of Rs 1,868 per quintal. 

Meanwhile, deputy registrar of cooperative societies, Jerome Kerketta said as per Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan’s instructions, the tehsildar of Tangarpali was directed to conduct a probe into the matter and its report is awaited. He said 6.15 lakh quintal paddy has been procured from farmers through 133 procurement centres in the district till now.