- विज्ञापन -
Chandigarh: A case of a scam in the distribution of rice to the poor has come to light in Punjab. The Vigilance Bureau has exposed a scam of Rs. 1.55 crore in this case. In this case, Vigilance has seized two trucks full of 1138 sacks and arrested three accused. Vigilance is investigating the case.
The Vigilance Bureau has arrested the owner of Shiv Shakti Rice Mill, Garhshankar District, Hoshiarpur, Gopal Goyal, and two truck drivers, Jagpal Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, by raiding the warehouse.
In this case, a case has been registered in the Bathinda range of the Vigilance Bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act against contractor of Jai Jainendra firm Harish Dalal, owner of Shav Shakti Rice Mill Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur Gopal Goyal, owner of Anjani Rice Mill Kuttiwal Kalan Maud Mandi Bathinda, truck driver Jagpal Singh, and Sukhwinder Singh.
In the investigation, the role of concerned officers and employees of Food Corporation of India, besides officers and employees, and monitoring of Global Warehouse will be investigated.
According to Vigilance, under the ‘Bharat Brand’ scheme being run by the Government of India, about 70,000 metric tons of rice are being distributed to the poor families of Bathinda, Bhucho, Maur, Rampura Phul, and Budhlada by the National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India.
The cost of this was about 130 crore rupees. Out of this, 1000 metric tons of rice were to be distributed in 5 kg and 10 kg bags at a rate of 18.50 per kg. The tender to supply this rice to the beneficiaries in Bathinda district at the rate of Rs 29 per kg was given to the Jai Jainendra firm.
The Vigilance Bureau had received information from reliable sources that an attempt was being made to embezzle rice worth Rs 3.40 crore from the beneficiaries. Acting on the information, the team of the Vigilance Bureau seized two trucks loaded with 1138 sacks of rice, which were to be sent to Hamzapur town in Fatehabad.
But the trading firm was preparing to sell the rice directly to the vendors. Because of this, neither the rice was cleaned nor was it put in sacks. An investigation has revealed that the said firm wanted to embezzle the government stock reserved for the poor by selling it at a high price of Rs 34 per kg.
Investigation has revealed that the owners of the Jai Jainendra firm, through a broker named Harish Kumar and unknown officials of the Food Corporation of India, connived with the officers, employees, and supervisors of this warehouse to purchase rice from Global Warehouse (Soma Warehouse), Maud Mandi, after paying a bribe
Later, these rice sacks were sent to Anjani Rice Mill, Kuttiwal Kalan, and Maud Mandi, and thereafter, through these trucks, the rice sacks were to be transported to Shiv Shakti Rice Mill, Garhshankar District, Hoshiarpur.
