Rubbishing allegations levelled by the Nafed chairman about the dubious role of the State and local procurement agencies in groundnut procurement, Gujarat Agriculture Minister RC Faldu faulted Nafed for failing in its duty to manage the procurement effectively and not speaking up against the wrong-doings in time.
At a press conference in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Agriculture Minister also objected to the Nafed chief’s recent complaint about the role of the officials at procurement centres and warehouses.
“For over eight months, when the procurement process was underway, you did not draw the attention of the State government towards any wrong-doing. Now, you complain of malpractices and allege a cover-up by State agencies by setting warehouses on fire. Your comments about the State and local agencies are irresponsible and unfortunate. You are making false statements to run away from your responsibilities,” said Faldu in a letter addressed to NAFED chairman VR Patel.
Faldu also hit out at the Central agency saying that firstly it did not open an adequate number of procurement centres when groundnut arrivals were at their peak, and later, when the State government extended its support by roping in local agencies, they started trading allegations.