BHUBANESWAR: A Balasore-based businessman was arrested on Friday for allegedly embezzling government subsidy of around Rs 6 crore on the pretext of selling agricultural machinery and equipment to farmers.
The accused was identified as Shreenath Rana (48) by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of the State Crime Branch.
Rana, who worked as the regional manager of Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based company, had misused the login ID and password of the firm to misappropriate the subsidy amount.
Company having branch office in baramunda The area here had lodged a complaint with the Bharatpur police station in January this year. The EOW took over the investigation from the Bharatpur Police on Wednesday.
Varushapriya Agrotech is an authorized supplier of paddy transplantation to farmers across the country and also provides various services to the Government of Odisha under various subsidized schemes.
During his tenure as a Regional Manager in the company in 2018-2020, Rana was required to visit the website of the State Agriculture Department www.agrisnetodisha.ori.nic to register the sale of agricultural machinery and facilitate subsidy to the beneficiaries/farmers. was assigned the task. In.
The cost of each paddy transplant was then between Rs 2.33 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. The government was giving subsidy between Rs 93,320 to Rs 1.50 lakh on each machine.
As per the procedure, the farmers will first buy the agricultural machinery from the authorized dealer. The dealer would then upload the sale details along with the photographs of the beneficiaries on the government website, after which the government would transfer the subsidy amount to the bank accounts of the farmers.
“During investigation, it was found that between 2017 and 2021, Rana, owner of M/s Tarini Auto Agency, Balasorehad uploaded fake sales details of over 500 paddy transplanters with fake engine and chassis numbers. He had also uploaded the names and photographs of fake beneficiaries of 18 districts on the government’s Direct Benefit Transfer portal,” said Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Panda.
Subsequently, the government had released a subsidy amount of about Rs.6 crore in favor of the farmers.
The subsidy has been deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers.
Rana had conspired with the poor farmers and paid them some thousands of rupees before withdrawing the subsidy amount from their accounts. “Rana had snatched the government subsidy without selling or buying any farm equipment,” Panda said. Although the farmers had illegally benefited from this arrangement, the EOW did not arrest them as they were lured by the Rana, who paid them a few thousand rupees.
The accused was identified as Shreenath Rana (48) by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of the State Crime Branch.
Rana, who worked as the regional manager of Varushapriya Agrotech Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based company, had misused the login ID and password of the firm to misappropriate the subsidy amount.
Company having branch office in baramunda The area here had lodged a complaint with the Bharatpur police station in January this year. The EOW took over the investigation from the Bharatpur Police on Wednesday.
Varushapriya Agrotech is an authorized supplier of paddy transplantation to farmers across the country and also provides various services to the Government of Odisha under various subsidized schemes.
During his tenure as a Regional Manager in the company in 2018-2020, Rana was required to visit the website of the State Agriculture Department www.agrisnetodisha.ori.nic to register the sale of agricultural machinery and facilitate subsidy to the beneficiaries/farmers. was assigned the task. In.
The cost of each paddy transplant was then between Rs 2.33 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. The government was giving subsidy between Rs 93,320 to Rs 1.50 lakh on each machine.
As per the procedure, the farmers will first buy the agricultural machinery from the authorized dealer. The dealer would then upload the sale details along with the photographs of the beneficiaries on the government website, after which the government would transfer the subsidy amount to the bank accounts of the farmers.
“During investigation, it was found that between 2017 and 2021, Rana, owner of M/s Tarini Auto Agency, Balasorehad uploaded fake sales details of over 500 paddy transplanters with fake engine and chassis numbers. He had also uploaded the names and photographs of fake beneficiaries of 18 districts on the government’s Direct Benefit Transfer portal,” said Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Panda.
Subsequently, the government had released a subsidy amount of about Rs.6 crore in favor of the farmers.
The subsidy has been deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers.
Rana had conspired with the poor farmers and paid them some thousands of rupees before withdrawing the subsidy amount from their accounts. “Rana had snatched the government subsidy without selling or buying any farm equipment,” Panda said. Although the farmers had illegally benefited from this arrangement, the EOW did not arrest them as they were lured by the Rana, who paid them a few thousand rupees.
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