Bhopal: EOW Books Project Officials For Siphoning Off ₹ 2.29 Crore

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has registered a case against officials of agriculture department posted in Anuppur district and other private people for siphoning off Rs 2.29 crore, said officials here on Tuesday.

DG (EOW) Upendra Jain said that the agency had received a complaint alleging that the agriculture department officials cheated farmers under ‘ATMA’ project running in Jaihari, Anuppur and in Pushprajgarh.

Under the scheme, the farmers were to be provided funds to prepare vermin-compost, multi tool frame, sickle, vermin bed, bio inoculants etc.

However, the scheme remained in papers and the then deputy director of the project ND Gupta and his associates siphoned off Rs 2.29 crore sanctioned for the implementation of the scheme.

The official allegedly paid Rs 83.54 lakh to a Delhi-based company engaged in soil sample collection, testing and analysis. The funds were to be sanctioned for two years but the officials used it within a year.

The police registered a case against ND Gupta, Nisha Sinha, Varsh Tirpathi, SK Sharma, proprietor of the company, and the then senior agriculture development officer of Anuppur, Kotma, Jaithari and Pushprajgarh.