Team Insaaf accuses govt of jute bag purchase scam

Monday, 01/02/2016

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LUDHIANA: Team Insaaf led by independent MLA Simarjit Singh Bains accused the state government of earning over ` 7,500 crore in alleged jute bag purchase scam for the last nine years. He said this during a press conference at Circuit House on Sunday.

Independent MLA Simarjit Singh Bains addressing a press conference in Ludhiana on Sunday.

Bains has also written a letter to the Prime Minister and the agriculture minister demanding CBI inquiry and resignation of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Punjab food and supply minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon.

Simarjit Singh Bains alleged that the state government has been purchasing low weight bags on high rate and farmers have to pay more paddies to fulfill actual weight of the bags.

He alleged, “In 2015-16 the state government purchased 28 crore and 73 lakh bags at ` 49.72 but the bags with more quality are available on ` 21 in the market. Due to these two ways exploited farmers have been forced to commit suicide in the state.”

Ba ins said ,“According the recommendations of Directorate General Supply and Disposal (DGSD) that every bag should be 665 grams but the average bags purchased by state government was 565 grams and farmers had to pay 100 gram paddy extra.He also alleged that there is no private purchase of jute bags in the state and state treasury have to face deficit in crores of rupees.

“I have purchased a bag of 750grams in the market on ` 21 with heavy quality. But state government is purchasing at ` 49.72 and state treasure had to face ` 825.12 loss in the past and the whole burden forced farmers to commit suicide,”Bains added.

On the question that rice mill owners getting more profit, Bains said, “Despite rice mill workers knowing this thing, they are also scared. We wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and the agriculture minister and demanded CBI inquiry. I also demanded that the ` 7,500 crore should be distributed to lower peasantry and Parkash Singh Badal and Adesh Partap Singh Kairon should resign”.

“We asked in our letter that Centre shall take immigrate action on the matter if the government ignores our demands, we will move court and intensify our struggle with the help of farmers,”he added.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member legislative assembly (MLA) Ranjit Singh Dhillon, said, “Chief minister Prakash Singh Badal has always worked for the welfare of farmers and he cannot even think to loot them. Bains was an MLA in Shiromani Akali Dal and could have worked a lot for the masses but now he is only trying to create a political niche for himself by raising self manufactured issues.”