Controversy has sparked after a subsidy of INR 10 crore was granted to Reva Tapi Valley Industrial Development, a Nandurbar based company owned by Supriya Gavit. Supriya is the daughter of Vijay Kumar Gavit, the minister of tribal development in Maharashtra.
Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar and MPCC general secretary Sachin Sawant have raised objections to the grant by the ministry of food processing. They argue that it is unethical and against the principles promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Wadettiwar has also criticised the fact that, while the plan was created for farmers, the recipients are the kin of BJP cabinet ministers, as per TOI.
Minister Gavit has denied any accusations of favouritism and claims his daughter's project was chosen on merit. In a report by TOI, he was quoted as saying that he was not a minister when she requested the grant, nor when the project was approved, or when the first installment was paid out. Reportedly, Supriya is establishing warehouses and cold storage as part of the cluster project.
According to records, Supriya Gavit proposed a project worth INR 27 crore, which was approved on August 8, 2019. A grant of INR 10 crore was approved by the ministry; however, only INR 3.15 crore was actually distributed that year. Whereas, minister Gavit assumed office on August 14, 2022.
In 2018, the ministry of food processing requested expressions of interest for agricultural processing clusters. After verification by a high-level technical committee, 70 businesses were chosen for financial assistance.
Then, a total of INR 590 crore was authorised, and INR 166 crore have been paid out thus far. Government documents reveal that from the 70 enterprises, 13 are from the state and have received up to INR 10 crore in funding.
Share
Tweet
