Gujarat: Viramgam paddy purchase scam: Congress calls for probe into ₹20 cr fraud

A complaint has been filed against the Viramgam purchase centre after a year for the missing paddy purchases.

Paddy purchase was made from farmers at the MSP (Minimum Selling price ) at Viramgam from November 20 to December 31, 2023. The online records for this center show 3,35,524 paddy bundles were purchased, but upon inspection, the mamlatdar found that 2,24,609 paddy bundles were only there. This discrepancy indicates that 90,915 sacks of paddy had disappeared. And the value of the missing paddy is estimated at ₹3.76 crore.

On January 6, 2025, during the verification process, it was revealed that 1,221 farmers had sold their paddy at the MSP price. Of these, 927 farmers had been paid, while 294 farmers had not received payment.

Congress spokesperson Manhar Patel has alleged that a complete scam is carried out through the portal’s ID system.

Despite the ongoing issues about corruption, a police complaint was only registered on December 31, 2024, after a year.

Even though a week has passed, the police have yet to arrest a single suspect.

The leaders also alleged that while the police arrested the Patidar woman in the letter case immediately, they are not working to solve this case.

Congress leaders have demanded an investigation into the matter, and reportedly a ₹20 crore scam can be uncovered.

This article has been republished from The Gujarat Samachar.