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Bhopal:
The Madhya Pradesh authorities has launched a crackdown after the Prime Minister’s Office sought a report on allegations that poor high quality rice was despatched to the state’s tribal heartland through a compromised public distribution system amid the coronavirus lockdown.
NDTV had reported about poor high quality rice being given to tribes in Balaghat and Mandla by means of the general public distribution system or PDS.
The state authorities’s motion, nevertheless, was seen as “selective” as a syndicate comprising transporters, meals grain merchants and authorities staff in Mhow was busted, however one other one in Anuppur was left unscathed.
Anuppur is the constituency of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bishaulal Singh. This constituency is amongst 27 within the state the place by-elections are due.
The Mhow racket diverted meals grain and kerosene from focused PDS into the open market, whereas in Anuppur, over 2,200 quintals of rice had disappeared from a warehouse rented by the by meals and civil provides company. No police grievance has been filed even a yr after the incident got here to mild.
According to Indore district administration sources, following a grievance in Mhow sub-division, a warehouse named Harshit Traders, owned by Mohit Agrawal, was raided. Mohit Agrawal is the son of Mhow Congress unit govt president Mohanlal Agrawal, who can be a registered transporter of the state civil provides company.
The raid discovered over 600 luggage of rice meant for provide underneath the focused PDS and the payments for these rice luggage had been discovered to be cast.
Investigators say the meals grain meant for PDS had been first despatched to fair-price outlets. Some of those outlets then signed receipts acknowledging they’ve the whole amount of meals grain. But eight to 10 quintals can be taken out of the sealed luggage and given to Mr Agrawal’s males, who paid the fair-price store house owners, sources stated. The fair-price store house owners would then distribute much less meals grain and kerosene to focused PDS beneficiaries than what was truly allotted to them.
Initial findings recommend the “stolen” meals grain and kerosene could possibly be value Rs 50 crore, Indore District Collector Manish Singh stated.
But since Mohanlal Agrawal has been a registered transporter underneath focused PDS for over 15 years, the precise quantity of meals grain diverted to the open market could possibly be a lot larger, sources have stated.
“A state civil supplies corporation employee and others involved in the scam have been charged,” Mr Singh stated.
In Anuppur, the constituency of the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, the managing director of the civil provides company had written to the regional supervisor Ravi Singh instructing him to file a police grievance and get better the meals grain. But a yr has handed, and the First Information Report (FIR) has not been filed but, sources stated.
In July and August, the lab evaluation of 32 samples of PDS rice collected from authorities depots and one fair-price store in Balaghat and Mandla by groups of the Consumer Affairs Ministry had discovered that they weren’t safe to eat, however could possibly be used as feed for livestock, cattle and poultry.
On September 3, after NDTV reported the lapses, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over the probe in the whole matter to the Economic Offences Wing.
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