Government Reshuffle Amid Alleged Scam in Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) Grants in Haryana

Amidst allegations of multi-crore scams in the distribution of Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) grants in Haryana, the state government has removed Dr. Arjun Saini, Director-General of the Horticulture Department, from his position. Dr. Saini has now been appointed as HOD Special in the department, while IAS Rajnarayan Kaushik, the Director of Agriculture, has been given additional responsibilities as the Director-General.

Dr. Arjun Saini

The controversy involves three major farms in Kurukshetra, which have come under the scrutiny of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI is investigating the subsidy distribution to farmers in the Horticulture Department. The recent shakeup in the bureaucratic hierarchy has triggered discussions and speculations in Haryana's administrative circles.

Previously, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had taken action against ten officers found guilty in the vigilance inquiry related to the same case. The focus has been on a potential scam related to subsidies earmarked for farmers in the Horticulture Department.The three Kurukshetra farms are accused of creating fictitious FPOs to fraudulently claim subsidies. These farms allegedly failed to deposit the approved grants into the accounts of the deserving farmers.

The Central Government provides subsidies up to 85% to encourage farmers under its scheme. Exploiting this, farm owners allegedly formed fake farmer organizations to embezzle grants meant for the beneficiaries.

The CBI entered the investigation after the alleged irregularities in the subsidy distribution scheme of the Horticulture Department caught the attention of the Central Government. A request for a CBI inquiry was made by the Central Government to the Haryana Government, and the file for this inquiry is pending at the Chief Minister's office.

In the coming week, the government is expected to issue a formal order authorizing the CBI to investigate the matter. The heightened alert by the police in seven districts, including Nuh, is a precautionary measure to avoid any potential unrest during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

The Chief Minister's previous crackdown on ten officers linked to the scandal reflects the government's commitment to addressing corruption within the bureaucracy. With several bureaucratic changes and CBI investigations looming, the situation in Haryana's administrative landscape remains fluid.