Karnataka: Rs 40 crore misappropriation alleged in Ganga Kalyana Scheme

BALLARI: Ganga Kalyana is one of the welfare schemes to facilitate poor and small farmers to dig borewells so their dry land is made fit for irrigation. But irregularities in its implementation have deprived many beneficiaries of its benefits.
In Ballari district, about Rs 40 crore is said to have been misappropriated. The council parliamentary committee, led by chairman Y A Narayanaswamy, has discovered the scam during its recent visit to the district. The committee members also visited some farmlands and inspected the borewells. Besides expressing their disappointment over the irregularities, they have directed the ZP CEO to send a detailed report regarding the irregularities.
According to sources, Dr B R Ambedkar, Valmiki, D Devaraj Urs, Adi Jambhava, and Tanda development corporations have dug over 6,000 borewells to individual farmer-beneficiaries since 2015. The corporations were also supposed to provide submersible pumps, pipes, and electricity connections. The committee has found that over 2,000 beneficiaries in different taluks could not lift water from borewells due to the absence of electricity connection and submersible pumps.
Narayanaswamy said the Ganga Kalyana Scheme is supposed to help poor and backward farmers in getting water for irrigation. “But in Ballari district, the scheme has lost its meaning because of the scam by officers and borewell agencies. During physical inspection of borewells in different taluks, we found over 99 % borewells with false measurement in documents. Private borewell agencies have have claimed to have dug 620 feet while in reality it is 420 feet. The agencies have also siphoned off government funds meant for casing pipes,” he explained.
He also cited the example of a borewell dug for a beneficiary of D Devaraj Urs Development Corporation at Halkundi village in Ballari taluk. Even when the agency had dug to a depth of 340 feet, it mentioned 540 feet. Despite laying 24-foot-long casing pipe, it claimed 80 feet to make extra money. “The agency had also used low-quality cables and materials. Several such cases are in Ballari and Vijayanagara districts,” Narayanaswamy said.
The MLC said a big network is behind the scam, and grants to the tune of Rs 40 crore have been misused in Ballari and Vijayanagar districts alone. “We will initiate stern action against private borewell agencies and also officers who have connived with them,” he said.
Efforts made to contact Ballari ZP CEO K R Nandini for a response did not yield results.