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Muktsar rice mill to be blacklisted for excess stock
Irregularities were reported after Markfed matched the paddy sent to the mill from various procurement centres and the stock at the Muktsar rice mill.
Food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Monday announced to blacklist a rice mill in Bariwala, Muktsar, for a period of three years and also cancelled the allotment of paddy to the mill, Bhai Lehna Ji Rice Mills.
Giving details, principal secretary, food and civil supplies Rahul Bhandari said on October 29, the vigilance team of the department conducted a fact-finding check at the mill allotted to the state procurement agency, Markfed.
Irregularities were reported after Markfed matched the paddy sent to the mill from various procurement centres and the stock at the mill.
“Instead of 39,563 bags, 45,102 bags were found in the mill and 2,863 bags were found instead of 402 bags of paddy in the temporary procurement centre. Thus, 5,539 bags of paddy were found to be more in the mill and 2,461 bags in the temporary procurement centre,” Bhandari said. The cost of excess stocks was found to be ₹75 lakh.
He added that it appeared that the miller had tried to cheat the government with the intention of procuring unauthorised paddy or at a lower price for recycling purposes (mixing rice shelled from previous seasons’ paddy with the rice from the paddy of the current season).
As per the custom milling policy, 2022-23 of the government, the district allotment committee, Muktsar, has taken action to cancel the allotment of the above mill and blacklist it for three years.
Due to the cancellation of the allotment of the mill, orders have also been issued to transfer the stock in the mill to the risk and cast and other mills of the paddy miller. In addition, action has been initiated to de-notify the mill as a temporary storage centre.
“The state government’s policy of not tolerating irregularities in government procurement of paddy during the ongoing season is being strongly guarded and exemplary action is being taken against violators as chief minister Bhagwant Mann has pledged to provide a transparent and clean administration to the people,” Kataruchak added.
