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Tractor distribution initiative goes awry

By Rituraj Borthakur

GUWAHATI, Dec 30 - The State government�s plan to distribute tractors among farmers at subsidised rates, which has been billed as the biggest such programme in the country, has gone awry.

While the government has been forced to suspend the programme, a group of five top officials has been formed to review the procedure of providing the tractors to the farmers, sources told The Assam Tribune.

The rethink was prompted after it came to light that there was a huge difference in the rate quoted by firms supplying the tractors for this programme and that of another programme of the Char Areas Development Directorate.

The sources said the price quoted by one firm for supplying the tractors under the Chief Minister�s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana is around Rs 2 lakh more than the price quoted by the same firm for supplying the vehicles for another programme of the Char Areas Development directorate which required around 133 tractors.

The anomaly had come to light on the day the government had planned the ceremonial distribution of the tractors at the Sarusajai Stadium on December 10 in presence of the Chief Minister. The distribution was immediately placed under suspension.

The Congress has alleged a major scam in the initiative, stating that kickbacks were taken by politicians and officials which made the suppliers raise the prices.

The Agriculture Department had sought �justification� from the firms for the differential pricing.

�The companies cited that the package of the Char Areas Development Department has three implements, while the Agriculture Department package had five. The companies also stated that the insurance and registration of the tractors supplied to the Agriculture Department would be done for free and the vehicles would have six-year warranty unlike the tractors for Char Areas, which would have only two years warranty. Moreover, they also cited complicacies in retail sale, as the Char Areas would procure all the tractors in bulk unlike the Agriculture Department,� the sources said.

However, an unconvinced government suspended the distribution which was done through a portal where the suppliers quoted their rates and the farmers were allowed to choose from them.

�The five-member committee will decide on the procedure of distribution � whether there should be a tender, of EoI (expression of interest) or any other mechanism. The committee has been asked to give its report by January 10,� the sources said.

As part of the much-hyped Chief Minister�s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana, the government had decided to provide tractors to the farmers at 70 per cent subsidy. While 20 per cent of the cost of the tractor would be borne by the banks, rest 10 per cent would be borne by the beneficiaries. An amount of Rs 1,000 crore has been earmarked for its implementation.

The government had planned to distribute 10,109 tractors in the first phase.

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