E-Paper
Missing wheat: Three officials suspended, chargesheet filed against 2
Those suspended include district food and supplies officer Amarinder Singh, assistant food and supplies officer Arshdeep Singh and inspector Jasdev Singh
The Punjab food and civil supplies department on Sunday ordered suspension of three officials and charge-sheeted two after large stocks of wheat were found missing from the Jandiala Guru godowns of Pungrian.
Those suspended include district food and supplies officer (DFSO) Amarinder Singh, assistant food and supplies officer (AFSO) Arshdeep Singh and inspector Jasdev Singh. Departmental proceedings have been initiated against them.
The department issued chargesheet against district food and civil supplies controller (DFSC) Raj RIshi Mehra and his predecessor Jasjit Kaur. It has also been decided to refer the case to the state vigilance department for further investigation.
In a release, food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that the department has deputed a central vigilance committee (CVC) for physical verification of Pungrain wheat stocks. Reportedly, Jasdev Singh is absconding and a case has been registered against him.
Ashu said the CVC has constituted teams to verify the wheat stocks in various godowns and plinths of Pungrain at Jandiala Guru.
According to the preliminary report, 184,344 bags of the crop years 2018-19, 2020-21 & 2021-22 have been found short, the cost of which is approximately ₹20 crore. At least 87,000 quintal wheat has been found missing.
The CVC, in its preliminary report, has also apprehended that there might be bogus purchase of wheat and embezzlement of wheat distributed under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
The vigilance team has been directed to undertake an inquiry of the case and verify the central pool wheat stocks of RMS 2018-19 onwards and also report regarding distribution of wheat under the NFSA and PMGKY.
