Now Reading: Congress demands public audit of 110 high-revenue MP mandis
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Congress demands public audit of 110 high-revenue MP mandis
Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh state chief Jitu Patwari has demanded a public audit of revenue and expenditure at 110 mandis that each earn over Rs 3 crore annually. In a letter…
Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh state chief Jitu Patwari has demanded a public audit of revenue and expenditure at 110 mandis that each earn over Rs 3 crore annually. In a letter to agriculture minister Aidal Singh Yadav, Patwari said farmers who pay mandi fees continue to face poor facilities while the government prioritises collection over services.
Patwari argued the money collected from farmers and traders is not visibly spent on market yard infrastructure. He noted the state had invited proposals to upgrade ageing mandis, but questioned why farmers at high-earning markets still lack basic amenities.
The Congress leader called for mandi-wise disclosure of revenue, expenditure and facilities, plus a time-bound upgrade plan for the 110 high-revenue markets. He urged Yadav to intervene immediately to ensure adequate facilities across all agricultural markets in the state.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is Madhya Pradesh's second-largest own-tax revenue source after VAT, yet many of the 110 high-revenue mandis were built in the 1970s and 1980s. The state's Mandi Board had itself identified 210 mandis needing upgrades last year but allocated only Rs 150 crore against an estimated Rs 1,200 crore requirement. A public audit would expose whether the 11 per cent fee collected from farmers is genuinely being reinvested or diverted. The next clue will come in the winter session of the assembly, where the opposition is expected to force a debate and a vote on the demand.
Source: nationalheraldindia.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
