PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
In a major case of embezzlement of government funds under the Uttarakhand State Integrated Cooperative Development Project (UKCDP), the State Cooperative department has registered two separate cases against the National Federation of Farmers Procurement, Processing and Retailing Cooperative of India Limited (NACOF) under relevant sections.
In one case, the Mougi Dirghakar Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited of Tehri submitted a proposal for a joint cooperative farming project by leasing 70 acres of unused land. NACOF was selected as the support agency for the successful implementation of the project. On project’s approval, the committee was provided with a sum of Rs 1,28,43,860, of which Rs 71,90,319 were transferred to NACOF for various activities. However it failed to complete any of the assigned work in five years due to which the committee suffered. The interest burden on government funds also increased.
A departmental investigation also revealed serious irregularities in the use of government funds received by NACOF from nine cooperative societies in the State under the Electronic Market Cooperative Platform (e-MCP) scheme.
Taking a serious note of the irregularities, the secretary Cooperatives ordered the department to ensure recovery of government funds and blacklisting of the company following which complaints were filed in the Nehru Colony police station in Dehradun. The UKCDP project director Anand Shukla said that action has been initiated to register a case against NACOF for alleged misuse and fraud of government funds.
“Misuse of government funds or negligence with the interests of cooperative institutions will not be tolerated at any cost. Strict legal action will be taken against those institutions which are not functioning or are misusing government funds, as per the rules. The government’s top priority is to ensure that the benefits of every project reach farmers and cooperative societies directly and that transparent, accountable and purposeful use of government funds is ensured,’’ he said.
