While talking to media persons All India Congress Chief General Secretary and the former Union Minister Kumari Shelja accused ruling state government officers in Haryana as well as the rice millers responsible for Rs 238 crore rice scam in the state, demanding immediate probe in the matter. She said that with effect from2014 till 2021 the state government agencies have lost an amount worth Rs 200 crore in which paddy crop was procured from mandis by the rice millers for milling and the rice stocks were not returned to the government agencies after milling, alleged in alliance with the government officers.
The government has decided that now onwards the transportation of paddy from mandis to the rice mills will be done by the state Food and Civil Supplies Department and other procurement agencies instead of by the millers. The trucks deployed for transportation will be GPS-fitted so that their movement can be monitored. The decision has been taken after a detected a shortfall of 42,589 metric tonnes paddy in its stock at the rice mills suspecting bogus procurement with the involvement of rice millers, supervising officers, procurement agencies, arhtiyas (commission agents) and marketing board official.s Although, showcause notices were issued to the rice millers, whose mills reported shortage in stocks but no strict action was taken against the wrongdoers.
Sources reveal, the rice millers after procurement of paddy crops, prepared rice which was sold by them in the market at higher prices since having no strict action by the concerned government officials and in few cases when the matter reached higher authorities the rice millers procured poor quality rice from other states at much cheaper prices and supplied the same to Haryana state government agencies merely to complete the paperwork as result number of times complaints were received that rice being supplied by the government to the Aanganwari centres and for the mid-day meal in the schools was much below the standard. While talking to the media persons Shelja said that the state government incurring heavy financial loss worth crores of rupees by the rice millers every year in the absence of no stern action taken by the concerned officers except lodging a complaint with the police for an eyewash for the reasons best known to them.
Shelja said, in a recent case a Karnal district rice miller failed to return rice of value worth Rs 38 crores after procurement of paddy crop last year allegedly due to negligence as well as desires of the concerned government officers took no stern action against the rice millers, moreover during physical checking of paddy or rice stocks by senior government authorities the vigilance team failed to find stocks of the paddy crop or the rice in the mill, suspecting that the rice millers sold out all rice stocks owned by the government in the local markets at higher rates. Shelja said that 111 samples collected for fortified rice supplied by the government taken from Aanganwari Centres and schools supplied for mid day meals to the children have been failed, which were harmful for their health.
