'Certain individuals' left out in mining scam probe: Ex-Goa CM
Panaji, Sep 9 : Former Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who faces a Lokayukta probe in connection with the Rs 1.44-lakh crore mining renewal scam, has stated in his affidavit filed before the anti-corruption authority that "certain individuals", who were involved in the process of granting renewals, were "left out" in the complaint filed by an environment foundation.
In response to the affidavit, petitioner Dr. Claude Alvares of the Goa Foundation, on Saturday said that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was also CM when the first six mining leases were granted second renewals, would be made party to the Lokayukta case.
Parsekar's affidavit also claims that the policy under which the controversial 88 mining leases were renewed -- when he was not even the Chief Minister -- was a Cabinet decision and not a personal one, and that too in accordance with an order of the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court.
"The complaint is actuated by malice since the complainant has selectively and conveniently left out certain individuals who were also part of the process while granting the second renewal orders," Parsekar said in his affidavit.
Goa Lokayukta Justice P.K. Misra on Friday cleared the decks for probing the role of Parsekar and top officials related to the state mines department by rejecting preliminary objections filed by Parsekar and the mines department officials, following a complaint filed by the Goa Foundation.
Parsekar claims that his name was "cherry-picked" by the petitioner and has suggested that the policy which allowed the second renewal of mining leases was formulated by a Cabinet headed by his predecessor Manohar Parrikar.
"The said policy along with other related developments bonafidely were adopted by the government of Goa, while I was not even Chief Minister of the state of Goa, though a Minister in the Cabinet and not even Minister of Mines and Geology, all of which were decisions taken and approved by the Cabinet as a whole..." Parsekar said in his affidavit.
Parsekar succeeded Parrikar as Goa CM, after Parrikar was elevated to the Union Cabinet as Defence Minister in 2014. After formulating the mining renewal policy, the Parrikar-led administration had renewed a some mining leases, before the BJP leader's elevation to the Central Cabinet. The subsequent dispensation headed by Parsekar ordered the second renewal of mining leases, based on the directions of a High Court order, according to Parsekar.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Alavres, whose petitions in the Supreme Court of India in the recent past have led to complete suspension of Goa's illegal mining operations on two occasions in the past six years, said that Parrikar would also be made party to the alleged complaint filed before the Lokayukta.
"Parsekar has now filed an affidavit, which states very clearly that he is not fully responsible for approving those 88 leases. That it was a decision taken by Parrikar when he was the Chief Minister and therefore the investigation should also include him. We are now making an application to make Parrikar, though he is ill, also a party," Alvares said.
Mining in Goa was banned for the second time earlier this year by the apex court, faulting the state government for irregularities in granting second renewals of 88 mining leases while also directing the state government to allot the mining leases afresh.
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BAMUL president slams Flipkart over selling milk for Re 1 per litre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bangalore Milk Union Ltd president D K Suresh on Saturday claimed that e-commerce giant Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through "investor-funded discount campaigns", accusing it of undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades.
He has lodged a complaint against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and also written an email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking investigation into "predatory pricing" of milk by the quick commerce platform and its impact on dairy farmers and cooperative institutions.
However, Flipkart said in a statement that it periodically runs limited promotional campaigns on select products available on the platform, often in partnership with banking partners, to enhance customer value.
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"Prices of products on the Flipkart marketplace are determined by individual sellers. All dairy partners and sellers continue to receive their full agreed price for the products they supply, and farmer procurement prices are not impacted in any way," a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Flipkart further said it remains committed to working with farmers, cooperatives and sellers across India to expand market access and support their growth.
Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and also a former MP, slammed Flipkart for its latest move.
Taking to social media platform 'X', the Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (BAMUL) president said that milk is not a Re 1 flash deal. It is the livelihood of millions of farmers.
"Behind every litre of milk is the sweat, labour, and livelihood of our farmers. Predatory discounting by companies like Flipkart weakens India's dairy cooperatives and hurts farmer incomes," he said.
He urged both the central and the state governments to act immediately to protect the farmers and the cooperative movement.
In another post, Suresh said that milk is not a marketing gimmick. It is the livelihood of millions of dairy farmers who work every day to feed this nation.
"Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through investor-funded discount campaigns and is undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades," he added, urging public to choose farmers, cooperatives and Nandini, a dairy brand owned by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, he said that a complaint would be lodged against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section 19(1)(a) over the company's move to sell one litre of milk for Re 1.
He alleged that such competition aimed at capturing the market would hit farmers hard.
"Around Rs 2,000 crore has reportedly been spent on this initiative. It is not appropriate to misuse public shareholders' money in this manner," he said.
According to him, the move could undermine long-standing milk cooperative institutions that have existed since the pre-Independence period.
"Multinational companies are working against farmers' interests. They should clearly state in their advertisements how long they will sell milk at such low prices. Flipkart must withdraw from this move that harms the farming community," he added.
Suresh claimed that 14.5 lakh litres of milk had already been sold under the scheme and advertisements had been issued widely.
"Public money is being invested to attract customers. The company should disclose how long it plans to sell milk at this price," he said.
Responding to a question on whether the sales of Nandini milk had dropped, he said several brands operate in the market and not just Nandini.
"BAMUL's sales have dropped by about 40,000-50,000 litres. We need to ascertain how long this decline has continued," he said.
Asked if other entities were behind the scheme, he said information was still being gathered. "I have seen a couple of advertisements and will also discuss the matter with officials. Under the guise of business, it is not right to ignite a crisis for the farming community," he said.
Suresh said farmers are currently paid Rs 38-40 per litre for milk. "How can they sell it for Re 1? "We need to find out from whom they are purchasing the milk and where it is coming from," he said.
When asked whether farmers should be advised not to sell milk to such companies, Suresh said it was not clear where the company was procuring milk from, including bulk producers.
"We are also checking whether milk powder is being mixed. I have asked for samples and instructed that they be tested in laboratories. If cooperative institutions collapse, the direct impact will be on farmers," he added.
