Rajasthan: Kirodi Lal Meena holds marathon review meeting after nine-month hiatus; suspends joint director

IANS April 8, 2025 333 views

Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena conducted an extensive review meeting after a nine-month gap, revealing significant administrative lapses. He took decisive action by suspending the Joint Director of Quality Control for allowing distribution of fake agricultural minikits with zero active content. The minister ordered investigations into multiple departmental irregularities, including insurance fraud and irrigation scheme discrepancies. These actions signal a robust approach to addressing systemic inefficiencies in agricultural administration.

"Zero content report was found in the investigation of the minikits" - Unnamed Official
Jaipur, April 7: Nine months after stepping down from his ministerial post, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena held a marathon review meeting with department officials at Pant Krishi Bhawan on Monday.

Key Points

1

Suspended Joint Director for negligence in fake agricultural kit distribution

2

Ordered investigation into drip irrigation scheme irregularities

3

Transferred horticulture director after subsidy complaints

4

Cancelled insurance company agreement for farmer fraud

From 11 a.m. until late evening, Kirodi assessed the functioning of the department and issued strict directives regarding negligence and irregularities.

The most significant action was the suspension of the then Joint Director of Quality Control, Gajanand Yadav, for failing to act against companies that supplied fake agricultural products in free minikit distributions.

These kits, meant for farmers, were found to contain zero active content upon inspection - essential components like bio-fertilizers and micronutrients were entirely absent.

An official said that the Agriculture Minister ordered the suspension of the then Joint Director of Quality Control, Gajanand Yadav, for not taking action in the case of irregularities in the minikits distributed free to the farmers.

He added that zero content report was found in the investigation of the minikits of bio-fertilizer, bioagent and micronutrient distributed free to the farmers, adding that the fertilizer and bioagent, which should have been there, were not there at all.

He said that the companies involved in the supply of these substandard minikits include Chem Biotech Reico Sarnadungar, Spectrum Agri Sciences Ringas, among others.

The official said that despite test failures, no action was previously taken against these companies.

"In addition, Bharatpur Joint Horticulture Director Yogesh Kumar Sharma has been transferred to Bikaner after putting him on awaited posting orders (APO), following complaints regarding non-payment of subsidies for beekeeping boxes," the official said.

He added that the Agriculture Minister also instructed action against inspectors who failed to file legal cases related to substandard fertilisers dating back to 2010-11.

He said that the minister also ordered the cancellation of the agreement with Kshema General Insurance Company for allegedly cheating insured farmers in Sriganganagar and Bundi under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

"A state-level committee has been directed to investigate irregularities in drip irrigation schemes in Sawai Madhopur and Jalore," the official added.

Reader Comments

P
Priya S.
Finally some accountability in the system! Farmers work so hard and deserve quality inputs. Hope this is just the beginning of cleaning up corruption. 👏
R
Rahul K.
Zero active content? That's shocking! How could officials let this happen for so long? The suspended officer definitely deserves punishment but what about the companies supplying fake products?
A
Anjali M.
While I appreciate the action, why did it take 9 months for the minister to review things? Farmers suffered in this period. The system needs more regular checks, not just when someone decides to look into it.
V
Vikram J.
Good move by Meena ji! My uncle is a farmer in Bharatpur and has been complaining about subsidy issues for years. Hope this brings some positive change to the ground level.
S
Sunita P.
The insurance company cheating farmers is the worst part. These schemes are meant to protect our annadata, not exploit them. Hope the investigation is thorough!
H
Harsh T.
Marathon meeting sounds impressive, but real change will be measured by follow-through. Will keep watching to see if these actions actually improve things for farmers or if it's just for show.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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Tags:
Rajasthan Agriculture Kirodi Lal Meena Agricultural Minikits Government Corruption Farmer Welfare
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