Haryana’s ‘No’ to Khemka seeking CBI probe- ‘Not Competent’,says Principal Secretary

When asked if Haryana Government had given permission or consented to a CBI probe against NAFED and NCCF,Roshan lal said “No”. He went on to say that neither any permission has been given nor was Khemka competent to write to CBI for a probe against these central agencies.

He had a further dig at Khemka and said that for the first time huge quantity of “wheat seeds weighing 99,973 quintals was had not been not been given to farmers”. Similarly subsidised sunflower and maize seeds had not reached large number of farmers.

About recent controversy over purchase of fungicide Rexil for treatment of loose smut,flag smut and Karnal bunt raised by Khemka,Roshan Lal who was flanked by another IAS officer,A.K.Singh the Vice-Chancellor of HAU and university experts,said that Haryana is the second largest contributor of food grains to central pool. Wheat which is being grown over 25 lakh hectares is important for food security of the country. He said that Union Government has been advising the states for 100 per cent protection against seed borne diseases. He said that at a meeting held on October 6,2010 under chairmanship of chief minister,Bhupinder Singh Hooda and attended by Vice-chancellor,Haryana Agriculture University and other experts,it was decide d to use Raxil for 100 per cent treatment of certified seeds of wheat. He said that rate contract for purchase of Raxil was finalised in the meeting of the High power Purchase Committee. The Haryana Seeds Development Corporation is the nodal agency for the purpose.

He said that Raxil is most cost effective and proven for all the three diseases while Vitavax that costs 19 per cent more treats only flag smut and loose smut while Thiram is useful only for Karnal bunt. He claimed that rate at which Raxil was purchased was less than what the governments of Uttar Pradesh,Andhra Pradesh and even neighbouring Punjab and cooperative IFFCO were paying.