Bhubaneswar, June 28: A day after the Argus brought to the fore the BJD government's false claim of massive millet cultivation in Odisha, the new State Government on Friday said it would form a high-level committee to probe the allegation and take action accordingly.

The Argus team caught in its camera a millet-laden truck, bearing Registration No. KA34C4995, parked in front of the Tangasarada RMC go-down under Chandrapur block in Rayagada district. The truck loaded with bags of millet worth Rs 12.26 lakh had come from Karnataka, conceded its driver.

While the BJD government often claimed to have been awarded the Best Millet Promoting State, the Argus camera brought the reality to the fore. Millet was not only being imported from Karnataka but it was also being brought in huge quantities from neighbouring States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

After being brought from other States, millet was stored in go-downs at different places in Odisha and then was sold in the market in the names of farmers.

"We will forme a committee to probe the allegation," said Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.
Not only in Rayagada, but also in Nabarangpur, Argus News found evidence of fraud against Mandia (millet) farmers. Lakhs of rupees have been embezzled in farmers' names by falsely claiming that millet was produced by the peasants. Notably, there is a provision of giving financial support to farmers through NGOs for 5 years to promote Mandia farming in tribal districts.

The government claimed to have been paying incentives of Rs 10,000 per hectare in the first year of farming, Rs 7,500 in the second year, Rs 5,000 in the third year, and Rs 2,000 each in the fourth and fifth year to the millet farmers.

But the truth is that neither incentive money was being paid to farmers nor millet was being bought from the farmers. Hundreds of quintals of Mandia are being stored and packaged under the Odisha brand after scheduled import from outside the state.

According to many, NGOs and local agriculture officials have a bonhomie between them to import millet from outside and sell it in the market in the name of tribal farmers. Thereby, they embezzled lakhs of government money.

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