That conditions of extreme rottenness obtain in Bihar PACS is once again exemplified by the six PACS in Darbhanga town reneging on their obligation to supply rice under the agreement of Custom Milled Rice. This explains District Magistrate lodging an FIR against the chairman of all these PACS societies, reports Indian Cooperative correspondent Manmohan Sarawgi from Bihar.
District Cooperative Officer, Arun Kumar said “An FIR will be lodged against PACS societies and Trade Chambers which are unable to provide CMR on the said deadline. He further said there are about 2349.24 MT CMR yet to be supplied from these societies”.
It is worth mentioning that the Central Government had already allocated a special budget for computerization of these PACS and yet their functioning has not improved a wee bit. However, against this background, cooperators asking for help from the government to strengthen the cooperative sector seems a little unjustified.
It bears recall that in Kharif Season [2016-17] PACS societies have purchased paddy directly from farmers according to the DCO office report. PACCS and Trade Chambers have to supply rice to CMR (boiled Rice) 67 KG per quintal to the godowns of the State Food Corporation.
Though the deadline has passed, PACCS have not been able to supply CMR to the SFC godowns.
The stories of rampant corruption in the PACS of the state are commonplace. PACS Chairmen collude with the cooperative officials to deny farmers their due.
There is a method in how they indulge in corruption ; they will not first open Procurement centres on time so that
PACS officials and the govt officials finally buy produce from the traders who have already got it cheap from the poor farmers. The profit is shared among PACS officials, govt officials and the tradesmen making a mockery of the govt scheme.
This correspondent had a harrowing personal experience when he wanted to help a farmer sell his produce through PACS in Phulparas in Madhubani district of the state. Despite the intervention of the concerned Minister from Patna, it took a hell of a lot of efforts to get a procurement centre opened on time. The nexus is too deep to be broken by an outsider so easily.
Earlier, Ranjan Singh chief reporter with Dainik Bhaskar shot a letter to Indian Cooperative from Samastipur exposing the highhandedness of the cooperative officials in paddy procurement.
He wrote “There is a village named Dhrubgama in the Kalyanpur block of Samastipur district. Farmers are being openly paid only Rs 1225 per thousand kg of wheat by the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies here, while the governmental rate is Rs 1260.
Farmers are also asked to bring their bag which PACS’s officials promise to return in course of time. The story is the same in every village of the district. There is no official who would bother to listen to you. Briefly put, the PACS scene in Bihar seems to defy repair.