Farmers accuse Haryana Government of wheat subsidy fraud

The president of Bharatiya Kisan Ekta (BKE), Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh, has raised serious allegations against the Haryana Government, claiming fraud in the wheat subsidy scheme for the rabi season. Aulakh said the government’s subsidy of Rs 1,000 per quintal was misleading and insufficient.

According to Aulakh, the Haryana Seed Development Corporation, along with other agencies such as National Seeds Corporation and IFFCO, was selling certified wheat seeds for Rs 2,875 per quintal. The government has set this price by assuming a base price of Rs 3,875 per quintal and offering Rs 1,000 subsidy. However, private seed companies are selling the same seeds for Rs 3,100-3,200 per quintal without any subsidy.

In comparison, last year, the government agencies purchased wheat from farmers at Rs 2,275 per quintal, plus bonuses between Rs 100 and Rs 350 per quintal. Farmers were also returned broken or undersized grains during processing. Factoring in all expenses, including labour, packaging and storage, the total processing cost should not exceed Rs 550 per quintal, resulting in a true seed price of around Rs 2,825 per quintal.

Aulakh questioned why the government’s subsidy did not benefit the farmers as the final seed price remained close to private company rates. He suspects a major discrepancy in the subsidy distribution and demanded an investigation to uncover who might be profiting from it instead of the intended beneficiaries.

He called for a high-level probe to trace the Rs 1,000 per quintal subsidy that was meant to support farmers. Aulakh emphasised that a clear examination was necessary to ensure that future policies genuinely benefitted farmers rather than exploiting them.