Khaira Calls for CBI Probe into Alleged Rs. 5,000 Crore Farmer Exploitation During 2024-25 Paddy Procurement Season

New Delhi(Punjab Outlook Bureau)– In a strongly worded appeal to Union Home Minister Sh. Amit Shah, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, MLA from Bholath, former Leader of Opposition, and Chairman of All India Kissan Congress, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into an alleged Rs. 5,000 crore scandal involving the exploitation of farmers during the recently concluded 2024-25 paddy procurement season in Punjab.

In his letter to the Home Minister, Khaira accused the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, of orchestrating a systematic and organized “loot” that forced farmers to sell their paddy crops below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs. 2,320 per quintal. The alleged scheme involved collusion between state procurement agencies, commission agents, and rice sheller owners. Khaira stated that while the Government of India had sanctioned Rs. 43,000 crores as Cash Credit Limit (CCL) in September 2024 for paddy procurement, the funds did not fully benefit the farmers. He highlighted the following allegations:

  • Farmers were misled by state agencies, which claimed the previous year’s paddy stock was not lifted, creating fear and uncertainty in the market.
  • Officials cited 17% moisture content as a reason to deny farmers the full MSP.
  • Farmers were compelled to sell their paddy at distress prices, ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 500 less per quintal than the MSP.
  • Payments at the MSP rate were allegedly made into farmers’ accounts, but the weight of the crop was artificially reduced to siphon off funds.

Khaira emphasized that this alleged exploitation led to massive financial losses for farmers, with many protesting and filing complaints with district authorities to no avail. He alleged that the financial gains from this scandal were shared among politicians in the ruling party, corrupt officials, and procurement middlemen.“The nexus of corrupt officials, commission agents, and rice sheller owners, under the patronage of the Bhagwant Mann government, has caused immense hardship to farmers and a loss of Rs. 5,000 crores to the public exchequer,” Khaira stated.

Khaira urged the Home Minister to initiate a fair and impartial CBI investigation, expressing confidence that such an inquiry would expose the scale of corruption and exploitation. He assured that farmers would provide substantial evidence, including affidavits and temporary sale slips, documenting the forced distress sales.“The farmers of Punjab, who form the backbone of our agricultural economy, deserve justice. This organized exploitation must be thoroughly investigated, and the guilty brought to book,” Khaira concluded.

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