Fertiliser co-op in eye of scam storm

April 24, 2012

scam


New Delhi, April 24: The leading fertiliser producing cooperative in the country, Kribhco, is under a cloud following a controversial joint venture takeover of an ailing fertiliser plant at Shahjanpur in Uttar Pradesh at an inflated cost.

Kribhco, a multi state co-operative society under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers, purchased the ailing Oswal Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (OCFL) in 2005 in a joint venture with Shyam Basic Infrastructure Project at a cost of Rs 1,900 crore.

The purchase of the plant in joint venture, in which Kribhco currently has 85 per cent stake, has been taken to the Delhi High Court where several questions have been raised amid a gamut of transactions.

Several RTI replies, submitted to the court, imply that the valuation of assets of company was not only conducted in a hasty manner but also the consultant which did valuation did not have experience in valuing the fertiliser companies.

As per the documents obtained through RTI, the valuation of assets of Oswal Fertiliser Plant was conducted by Edelweiss Capital Limited which was engaged by Shyam Group of companies, promoter of Shyam Telecom, on November 3, 2005.

Within two days, on November 5, 2011, the valuation was completed, the deal was sealed and Kribhco agreed to pay Rs 1,900 crore.

In the RTI reply, Kribhco admitted that Edelweiss Capital had no previous experience of valuing a fertiliser plant. Shyam Group is active in telecom and related areas, and had no experience in fertiliser industry.

Moreover, Kribhco had stated that Edelweiss for its report relied on the information provided to them by OCFL.

Suspecting a scam, BJP MP and also former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and brought the matter to his notice.

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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India will definitely get its economic growth back as the government continues to pursue various reforms.

Speaking at industry association CII's annual session, he said the government has taken tough steps to fight the coronavirus pandemic and has also taken care of the economy.

"On the one hand we have to safe lives of our people and on the other hand we have to stabilise the economy and speed up the economy," he said.

He said he gets the confidence from farmers, small businesses and entrepreneurs for getting the economic growth back.

"Corona may have slowed our speed (of growth) but India has now moved ahead from lockdown with the phase one of unlock. Unlock Phase-1 has reopened a large part of the economy," he said.

He said intent, inclusion, investment, infrastructure and innovation are crucial for India to revert back to a high-growth trajectory.

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News Network
July 27,2020

New Delhi, Jul 27: India's COVID tally on Monday crossed 14 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 49,931 cases reported in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total COVID-19 cases stand at 14,35,453, including 4,85,114 active cases, 9,17,568 cured/discharged/migrated, it added.

With 708 deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 32,771.

India had crossed 13 lakhs COVID-19 cases on July 25.

Maharashtra has reported 3,75,799 coronavirus cases, the highest among states and Union Territories in the country.

A total of 2,13,723 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu till now, while Delhi has recorded a total of 1,30,606 coronavirus cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 5,15,472 samples were tested for coronavirus on Sunday and overall 1,68,06,803 samples have been tested so far.

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Agencies
June 5,2020

Malappuram, Jun 5: A lawyer has filed a complaint with Superintendent of Police, Malappuram against BJP leader Maneka Gandhi and others for allegedly indulging in a hate campaign against Malappuram district and its residents.

Advocate Subhash Chandran, who hails from Malappuram, on Thursday filed a complaint seeking registration of FIR against former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi and others for allegedly indulging in a hate campaign against Malappuram and the residents of the district.

The complainant alleged that the campaign against the district was very derogatory and with a malafide intent.

The complaint stated that the unfortunate death of an elephant in Mannarkkad, Palakkad District dominated social media conversations in the last two days but a group of people deliberately added communal colour into it only to spread hatred against Malappuram, which is a Muslim majority district in Kerala.

It also stated that the elephant in question died on May 29, 2020, in Palakkad not in Malappuram as claimed by a section in social media users. Prominent news outlets operating from the South also reported that the elephant died after consuming explosive-laden pineapple in Palakkad.

The complaint also named political commentator, Tarek Fatah, for allegedly starting a hate campaign against the district and the minority community.

It alleged that Union Minister Maneka Gandhi made false and frivolous allegations against the district of Malappuram and its residents.

Chandran, through the complaint, prayed to the district police chief to register an FIR against Maneka Gandhi and others under Section 153A, 120B etc. of Indian Penal Code.

An elephant had died after she ate the pineapple stuffed with crackers and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw.

The elephant was seen standing in the river with her mouth and trunk in the water for some relief from the pain after the explosive-filled fruit exploded in her mouth.

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