Distilleries converted kickbacks into gold, says SIT
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Hans India
18 minutes ago
- Hans India
Maha: Outstanding Agri loans to various banks surge to Rs 37,392 crore
Mumbai: Amid hope for a crop loan waiver decision by the MahaYuti government as promised ahead of assembly elections, the arrears towards agriculture loan repayable to banks as on June this year have been reported at Rs 37,392 crore. According to the data compiled by the state cooperation department, of the Rs 37,392 crore, the district central cooperative banks (DCCBs) have yet to recover arrears of Rs 15,492 crore, nationalised banks Rs 18,00 crore, regional rural banks Rs 800 crore and private banks Rs 3,000 crore. The increasing outstanding dues are adversely impacting the finances of these banks. Nearly 20.37 lakh bank accounts of farmers have outstanding dues. The department sources on Thursday hinted that the arrears due to non-repayment by farmers towards crop loan, short, medium and major loans are expected to grow further as the farmers expect an early decision on crop loan waiver. Further, the department sources said that farmers are not repaying the loans despite the appeal made by the Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate to clear their dues at the earliest without waiting for the announcement of crop loan waiver. The government, on the last day of the monsoon session on July 18, announced the establishment of a committee to look into the crop loan waiver issue and the present state of agricultural stress. Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil said, 'The government has set up a committee to study the crop loan waiver option. It is a matter of concern that even the financially sound farmers are not repaying the loan. The financial health of district central cooperation banks, which play a major role in the rural economy, is becoming delicate. They are expected to land in big financial trouble.' According to the cooperation department sources, crop loans worth Rs 70,000 crore on average are disbursed annually in the state. Of which, 65 per cent of loans are disbursed by nationalised banks and 35 per cent by district central cooperative banks. 'Financially sound farmers with large land holdings opt for loans from the nationalised banks, while farmers having small and marginal holdings take loans from district central cooperative banks.' Sources said that the financial condition of many district central cooperative banks, including Nashik, Wardha, and Nagpur district banks, has become fragile. Even the financially sound district central cooperative banks are likely to face similar financial problems if the arrears from farmers towards agriculture loans increase in future. 'The government provides agricultural loans at concessional interest rates. However, farmers are not in the mood to repay loans as they anxiously wait for a decision on the crop loan waiver. However, if the farmers continue to repay loans, then there is every possibility that the rural agricultural credit system may collapse,' warned sources from the cooperation department.
Hans India
18 minutes ago
- Hans India
Delhi court reserves verdict on issuing notice to Robert Vadra in land deal case
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday reserved its decision on issuing a notice to businessman Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in connection with a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur. The Rouse Avenue Court will likely pronounce its verdict on July 31 regarding the issuance of a notice to Vadra, the husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), claiming that Vadra's Skylight Hospitality 'fraudulently' purchased 3.53 acres of land situated in the village of Shikohpur in Haryana's Gurugram district through 'false declaration'. During the hearing, advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the ED, stated that the sale deed falsely declared a payment of Rs 7.5 crore, whereas in reality, no such payment was made. This amount was paid at a later stage to evade stamp duty, a fact that has been confirmed by key witnesses, added Hossain. Further, the federal anti-money laundering agency claimed that Vadra, 'through his personal influence', obtained a commercial license on the land purchased. As per the ED, the land was later sold to DLF at a higher price, and this aspect of the case is still under investigation. In April this year, Vadra was questioned in multiple rounds by the ED, during which his statement was also recorded. The land purchase deal in question was executed in February 2008 when Congress was at the helm in Haryana, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the Chief Minister. The mutation process, which usually takes months, was done the next day. Months later, Vadra received a permit to develop a housing society on the land, and the value of the plot increased. He sold it to DLF in June at Rs 58 crore. Suspecting the proceeds to be part of a money laundering scheme, the ED has been probing the trail behind the windfall gains. In October 2012, IAS officer Ashok Khemka (now retired), who was then posted as the Director General of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration of Haryana, cancelled the land purchase deal, citing procedural irregularities. Later in 2013, an in-house government panel gave a clean chit to both Vadra as well as DLF. When the BJP-led government came to power, an FIR was registered by the Haryana Police against former Chief Minister Hooda, Vadra, and others.
Deccan Herald
18 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Bucket for Rs 2500 'scam': CBI nabs Arunachal's assistant professor for 'bribery' in purchases
At the core of the allegations lies the alleged inflated procurement of 30 Milton-branded plastic buckets supplied on July 3 and billed for Rs 75,000, which translates to Rs 2,500 a piece.
