A row is raging over the alleged misappropriation of funds in raising coffee plantations in the 11 agency (tribal) mandals in the eastern ghats of Visakhapatnam district to the extent of more than Rs 30 crore.
Tribal farmers and their leaders are on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) office at Paderu in the area, demanding a probe into the matter and justice to the tribals.
Coffee cultivation
The Coffee Board, the State Government and the Union Government decided a few years ago to encourage coffee cultivation in the eastern ghats to better the lot of tribal farmers. It was stated that the tribal farmer could earn up to Rs 40,000 or more per acre with coffee plantation in the non-conventional area.
A mini coffee processing plant was also set up and coffee plantation was included under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
However, it is alleged, in disbursement of funds to the tribal farmers under the scheme, there is a large scale misappropriation and in many of the mandals, tribal farmers have not even got one-fourth of the amount due to them. Social audits taken up by different agencies in some of the mandals have confirmed the discrepancies and audits were being carried out in the other mandals.
The tribal farmers have launched an agitation to draw the attention of the Government to the issue and on Monday a bandh was observed in the mandals. Some political parties such as the CPI (M) have taken up the cause of the farmers and are demanding a probe into the issue, punishment of the guilty officials and corrective measures to pay the arrears to tribal farmers.