Rat trap issue rocks Mizoram

Aizawl, Oct 29 (UNI) The state administration was rocked with the allegation of misuse of Bamboo Flowering Famine Combat Scheme (BAFFACOS), especially the purchase of rat traps by the state Agriculture deparment in Mizoram.

Agriculture department sources here had admitted that the department had not yet utilised the Rs 5.90 lakh, earmarked for the purchase of rat traps.

It had received the money through a fabricated project and that money for rat traps was actually to be used as incentive to farmers to set traps in their fields.

''We needed the fund, an incentive to the farmers to set rat traps in the fields, and we had prepared a plan whereby each farmer would be given an incentive of Rs 100 per 50 traps set in a hectare of land,'' a senior official said.

Sources further explained the situation where information provided through the Right to Information Act and the actual expenditure from the fund had not tallied, saying the agriculture staff had separated ependiture from BAFFACOS fund and fund from normal centrally sponsored Schemes.

Agriculture Minister H Rammawi had denied that fund had been spent to procure rat traps and said the amount of Rs 5.90 lakh was still lying unused with the department.

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