India, Feb. 24 -- In an alleged violation of government directives, officials in the Agriculture Department of Reasi district have been accused of sanctioning high-powered tractors to farmers, potentially enabling misuse in non-agricultural activities such as illegal mining.
According to sources, the Jammu and Kashmir government issued an order on July 22, 2025, following a high-level meeting involving ministers and senior officials.
"The directive, relayed through the Director of Agriculture (Jammu), explicitly mandated that subsidies for farm machinery, including tractors, be limited to models below 40 horsepower (HP)," sources said, adding that this restriction was intended to prevent farmers from exploiting subsidized equipment for un...