Bidar: Bheemrao Manigempure, a poor farmer from Kadlabad who was forced to plough his field himself for want of two bullocks, may be happy after hearing the Government's decision to provide bullocks and carts to farmers. But farmers' groups are sceptical about the implementation of the decision. They point out flaws in the scheme that might lead to farmers like Mr. Manigempure not being selected as a beneficiary at all.

"After distributing seeds at 75 per cent subsidy, the State Government planned to provide bulls, carts, tractors and tillers at subsidised costs to farmers. But will these schemes succeed in reaching the real beneficiaries?," said M.S. More, secretary of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha.

He said the flaw in the scheme was that the Government had not empowered the gram sabhas to select beneficiaries for these schemes. The selection would be done by a taluk-level committee headed by the MLA. It would have no other people's representative. It would be full of officers. "We are not in favour of such committees as our experience with such committees for housing and pension disbursal has been bad in the past. If the Government is sincere in its approach, it should immediately change the rules and select the beneficiaries though gram sabhas," he said.

The State Government should announce a set of standing principles on which the beneficiaries should be selected. Any violation of this should be made punishable, he said.

He was worried that some officials, colluding with cart makers and bank officials, might indulge in irregularities such as diverting funds or producing fake beneficiary lists.

Gourish Bhatawdekar, a grapes farmer from Basava Kalyan and secretary of the Agriculture Graduate Farmers Association of Karnataka, said the scheme might not be a success if the implementation gets into the hands of corrupt officers.

This was not the first time the State Government was trying to distribute subsidised bulls and carts. A similar attempt to provide bulls and carts to those released from bonded labour was made during the reign of Devraj Urs. That attempt failed as many people got multiple loans for the same pair of bulls and the same cart.

Agriculture Minister and district in-charge Bandeppa Kashempur said the strategy to implement the schemes had been tried and tested. "We have been able to distribute seeds worth Rs. 35 crore to farmers and we have not received a single complaint against it.

"However, if there are any irregularities in the scheme this time around, we will take action against the officials. Then we will consider changing the way the scheme is implemented," he said.

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