A satellite-based survey has rocked Odisha’s Keonjhar district after a massive scam exploiting the increased MSP of paddy was uncovered on Saturday. The survey conducted by the Cooperative Department has uncovered widespread land record manipulation, with paddy cultivation being falsely shown on nearly one lakh fake land plots.

According to official sources, a total of 79,108 farmers registered this year in Keonjhar district to sell paddy. However, the unusually high number of registrations raised red flags within the administration, prompting authorities to order a detailed verification through satellite imagery. The survey revealed that thousands of registrations were linked to non-existent or ineligible agricultural land.

The satellite survey has so far identified more than 65,000 fak

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