Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam has affected nearly 3 lakh farmers. The Rs.25,000 crore scam has had a very negative impact on the cooperative and agricultural sector in Maharashtra. According to media reports, the number of affected farmers could cross 3 lakh. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found that officials and leaders of the MSCB have cheated these farmers together. These farmers are associated with cooperative institutions of sugar mills through many means. When the construction of these sugar mills was beginning in Maharashtra, many of these farmers donated their lands for it.

In return, they were made shareholders of these sugar mills. Later, the directors of the MSCB purchased these sugar mills through private companies. These were fake companies. At the same time, a very small amount was paid for it. Once these sugar mills went into the ownership of these fake companies, the farmers not only lost their shares in these sugar mills but also lost their lands from them. All these farmers have been allowed is to produce sugarcane and sell their crops to these sugar mills. While the farmers were to get 10-30% more than the MRP rate because the cooperative sugar mills under the Centre used to give them the same amount. The amount that the farmers were supposed to get was digested by the bank officials and leaders in the middle.

Even when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned MSCB, the farmers suffered. Many branches of this bank had accounts of farmers and they also kept deposits in them. Similarly, ED has come to know about a Jarandeshwar SSK sugar mill which was purchased by a fake company called 'Guru Commodities' for Rs 65.75 crore. Soon thereafter, the company leased the sugar mill to Jardeshwar Private Limited. This is the same company that is associated with Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and his wife. The company then took a loan of Rs 750 crore from MSCB using this sugar mill. ED is eyeing 13 sugar mills which were used for taking such loans and hawala business.

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