Discrimination in giving subsidised tractors to farmers denied

ISLAMABAD: The allegations of corruption has again hit Sindh government’s “Tractor Subsidy Scheme” as the farmers have complained that 1600 subsidized tractors have been distributed among influential politicians in connivance with Bank officials, and the poor growers were left empty handed even on the first day of the launch of the scheme.
According to farmers, a scheme was advertised in Friday’s newspaper by the Sindh government to provide upto 25% subsidy on 1600 indigenously manufactured tractors to promote agriculture in the province but when the genuine growers approached the Sindh Bank branches across Sindh to avail the facility, they were told that all tractors have been already booked. The total subsidy provided by the Sindh government on tractors amounts to Rs480 million. Under the scheme each farmer could buy one tractor with a subsidy of Rs0.3 million on larger machine and Rs0.2 million on smaller tractor.
“I went to the Sindh Bank main Branch in Nawab Shah at around 9 am on Friday after seeing advertisement in the local newspaper only to learn that the scheme has finished as all the tractors have already been booked. It was impossible for anyone to file application with the Bank before 9 am as the application forms had to be attested by three officials of the district government,” said a farmer in Nawabshah requesting anonymity due to security concerns. He said none of my farmer friends could avail the facility as the application forms were complicated and they needed attestation from Patwari, Tehsildar and Assistant Commissioners of the area.
When contacted by The News, President of Sindh Bank, Bilal Sheikh refuted allegations of corruption in the scheme, saying that in past there had been incidents of bulk sale of subsidized tractors but during his tenure the practice has been curbed.
“In past dealers used to book 200 to 300 tractors in bulk to sell them to farmers on higher rates but this time nothing of this sort happened and all the tractors were given to genuine buyers,” he said, adding that application forms had been received by 70 branches of Sindh Bank in 26 districts of the province.
“Yesterday at around 11.30 am a member of National Assembly from the ruling party came to me with request of 25 tractors but I told him that only two tractors could be given to the persons accompanying him,” he said.Sheikh denied that all the tractors were booked even before the announcement of scheme on Friday, saying that around 100 tractors were still available for farmers.