GG News Bureau
Jabalpur, 28th Oct. An FIR has been lodged against Narendra Singh Tomar, the director of Hal Agri Farmer Producer Company Limited, for fraudulently profiting at the expense of farmers. This action follows directives from Collector Deepak Saxena after an investigation revealed that the company failed to return 3,162 quintals of substandard chickpeas, valued at ₹1,68,69,270, acquired at the minimum support price during the Rabi marketing year 2023-24.
The case came to light after several farmers filed complaints regarding non-payment for their chickpeas. In response, Collector Saxena formed a five-member investigation team led by Assistant Director of Agriculture Ravi Amravanshi. The team included District Marketing Officer Hirendra Singh, District Manager of the Warehousing Corporation S.R. Nimoda, Junior Supply Officer Kundan Singh Rajput, and Junior Supply Officer Ms. Abha Sharma.
The investigation revealed that despite receiving 3,162 quintals of chickpeas from 110 farmers at the minimum support price, Hal Agri Farmer Producer Company did not return the substandard produce. Priyanka Pathariya, the then-manager of the Madhya Pradesh Warehousing Corporation’s Bhedaghat branch, had instructed the company to return the non-FPO chickpeas, which had been stored at Mayank Warehouse No. 3 in village Badaiyakhera, Charghawan.
On the first day of the investigation, when summoned, director Narendra Singh Tomar did not attend but instead sent a representative, Dushyant Tripathi. Tomar finally appeared on October 25, but he failed to present any purchase or return registers related to the chickpeas. Instead, he provided the investigation team with 43 printed receipts for chickpea returns, which were handwritten with the names, villages, and quantities of the chickpeas acquired, but did not include farmers’ mobile numbers. The team deemed these receipts suspicious and unreliable.
Upon physical verification of Mayank Warehouse No. 3, the investigation team found no chickpeas stored there, despite the claims. The investigation revealed that Hal Agri Farmer Producer Company was guilty of misappropriating the chickpeas worth ₹1,68,69,270, failing to return them to the farmers, and committing fraud for unjust enrichment.
As a result, an FIR was registered late on Friday night at Charghawan police station against the director of Hal Agri Farmer Producer Company Limited. The FIR was filed by Assistant Director of Agriculture Ravi Amravanshi on behalf of the investigation team.
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