ITAHARI: Mushroom farmers in Budhiganga Rural Municipality of Morang district have accused the authorities of indulging in irregularities to misuse funds from the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project.

Speaking at a press meet held on Friday, the farmers charged the rural municipality authorities of embezzling the funds received from the project and of ignoring the intended beneficiaries, the farmers. "As the funds, meant for the welfare of the farmers, were found to have been embezzled, we will be filing a complaint against it before the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority," said Saroj Nepal, proprietor of Kisaan Nepal Mushroom Industry.

Of the Rs 1.6 million that was received as grant for the mushroom farmers, only a minimum percentage was given to them and the rest used elsewhere, informed another farmer Indra Timsena.

Around 50 farmers in the rural municipality are involved in commercial mushroom farming and are making sales worth Rs 60,000 every day.

Meanwhile, repeated attempts to contact the rural municipality chair Bal Chandra Majhi over the issue did not lead to any success.