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  India   All India  05 Feb 2019  Probe over MP ‘ghost’ farmers’ crop loans

Probe over MP ‘ghost’ farmers’ crop loans

THE ASIAN AGE. | RABINDRA NATH CHOUDHURY
Published : Feb 5, 2019, 2:19 am IST
Updated : Feb 5, 2019, 2:19 am IST

According to her, around 6,000 cases of disbursement of crop loans to alleged “ghost” farmers have come to notice so far.

(Photo: Representational Image)
 (Photo: Representational Image)

Bhopal: A preliminary official probe has indicated that around 6,000 “ghost” farmers have been sanctioned crop loans in the last few years in a Madhya Pradesh district.

A cursory glance of records of some government financial institutions operating in rural areas in Jabalpur district has brought to surface a scam involving disbursement of interest-free crop loans to alleged fake farmers.

“Prima facie it appears crop loans have been sanctioned to farmers who do not exist. However, a through probe alone will bring out the truth. A physical verification of each such case has been ordered to ascertain if loans were given to fictitious farmers or the beneficiaries have changed their addresses,” Jabalpur district collector Chhavi Bharwar said on Monday.

According to her, around 6,000 cases of disbursement of crop loans to alleged “ghost” farmers have come to notice so far, while majority of such cases have been detected in cooperative bank branches in the district.

“Collusion of officials in these bank branches cannot be ruled out in these cases,” she said.

Interestingly, many farmers in some villages in the state have lodged complaints that loans to the tune of thousands of rupees were taken in their names without their knowledge.

Tags: crop loans