India - The Vigilance wing of the State Government today sifted through the evidence at several veterinary and animal husbandry offices after it received complaints of alleged irregularities in poultry feed procurement.
The Vigilance sleuths searched the Chief District Veterinary Offices (CDVOs) at four places and examined records at the Directorate of Veterinary Services and Animal Husbandry, Cuttack.
The anti-corruption wing of the Government is reported to have examined the details of subsidised poultry feed procurement which runs into several crores of rupees.
The CDVO offices at Cuttack, Berhampur, Khurda and Dhenkanal districts came under scanner during Tuesday’s operation.
The root of the allegations was traced to maizebased poultry feed which was procured after the bird flu scare hit the country three years back.
This had prompted farmers to get rid of their birds there by affecting the poultry industry badly.
To give a boost to the farmers, the Centre had announced subsidy on poultry feed. Two lakh quintal of feed was to be procured by the State at the rate of Rs 450 a quintal.
Vigilance sources said the procurement was to be made from a corporation of Andhra Pradesh and order was placed too. The complaints, however, suggested that the feed did not reach farmers and found its way elsewhere.
The anti-corruption wing was looking into involvement of firms in the matter and checking their credentials. One of the leads came was from the audit report which pointed at the issue.
However, investigation being in preliminary stages, the Vigilance refrained from making any comments about the exact nature of the case and involvement of the officials.
