Khemka Alone Fights Against Corrupt Haryana government

CBI to probe Khemka’s wheat scam charge

The CBI has registered a preliminary inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the supply of wheat seeds to the Haryana Seed Development Corporation (HSDC) by the NAFED and NCCF.

The PE has been registered on a complaint filed by whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka.

Khemka, a 1991 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, who was the Managing Director of HSDC between July 18, 2012 and March 4, 2013, had given a report to the CBI seeking registration of a case against officials of the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) and National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) for selling seeds at inflated prices to HSDC.

It is alleged that the HSDC wanted to purchase nearly 10,000 tonnes of wheat seeds from private suppliers in case cooperative agencies - NCCF and NAFED - did not have enough stocks with them. Despite the non-availability of seeds, both the cooperative agencies allegedly offered to supply the seeds, after which the HSDC did not approach private suppliers.

“The allegations are that the NCCF and NAFED supplied seeds at higher rates to HSDC, causing loss to the exchequer,” CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said on Friday.

In his complaint, Khemka alleged that the state government purchased 10,000 tonnes of seed, which was to be supplied to farmers on subsidised rates under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, at inflated prices resulting in a loss of `5 crore to the exchequer.

Haryana government is misusing its authority to penalise Ashok Khemka -ET

The government of Haryana is blatantly misusing its authority to penalise a bright, upright officer, Ashok Khemka, by issuing him a second charge-sheet in a matter of months. Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda should realise that his arbitrary action will harm his party not just in Haryana but across India. Corruption will be a major issue during the 2014 general elections as well. By seeming to penalise an officer for blowing the whistle on some land transactions that involved the son-in-law of the Congresspresident, the Haryana chief minister is adding insult to injury, not serving the cause of his party, leave alone of his people or probity in public life. 

Khemka is now charged with low sales at the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, where he had been appointed managing director, probably in the hope that this would keep him at arm's length from Revenue and other departments where corruption germinates on a regular basis and where his presence could lead to more exposures. As it happened, Khemka discovered corruption in the procurement and sale of seeds by the corporation, which allowed some officials and private individuals to pocket seed subsidy meant for farmers. The game was simple: procure seed at an inflated price from favoured individuals and sell it to farmers at a price they find comparable with other prices by subsidising the sale with funds from the subsidy scheme. The scale of corruption was petty, so were the minds of those Khemka's official notes on the subject exposed. Hence the present set of charges, without even giving Khemka a chance to explain his side of the case. 

The Centre should advise Hooda to hold his horses and bring Khemka over on deputation, to take advantage of his energy, dedication and analytical bent of mind.

For IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who took on Robert Vadra, chargesheets aplenty