During the ongoing CBI investigation into crores worth FPO grant distribution scandal in Haryana, the government has removed Dr. Arjun Saini, the Director-General of the Horticulture Department. He has now been assigned the position of HOD Special in the department, while IAS Rajnarayan Kaushik has been appointed as the Director-General in his place. Three prominent farms in Kurukshetra have come under the CBI’s scrutiny in the FPO scam. The CBI is investigating the subsidy-related issues of farmers in the Horticulture Department.
Following the complaint received by the Central Government regarding the horticulture department’s corruption, three farms in Kurukshetra have been identified to play a significant role. The complaint alleges that these farms, under the guise of a fake FPO, fraudulently grabbed subsidies without depositing the approved grant into the accounts of farmers. It is reported that the central government provides up to 85% subsidy to encourage farmers, leading to the creation of fraudulent farmer organizations by farm owners to siphon off grants. In 2022, CM Manohar Lal took action against about 10 officers of various ranks related to the grant distribution of FPO in the Horticulture Department. However, the central government is not satisfied with this action, as the scheme falls under its jurisdiction, and complaints of corruption with solid evidence have reached its doorstep. The CBI is already conducting an investigation into the FPO grant scandal in the Horticulture Department.
CM Vigilance has carried out actions based on the vigilance report, resulting in disciplinary action against several farm operators and officers. According to sources, farm operators played a crucial role in this game, where money was played through fake FPOs. The government had taken action against 10 officials in the department.
In this, four officials of the Horticulture Department were suspended, and chargesheets were filed against four officers under Rule 7. Additionally, under Rule 8, action was taken against six senior officers.
