The state government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night terminated the services of two officers of Food and Civil Supplies department, suspended another officer while FIRs were filed with police against eight millers in two districts on the ground of a central government’s report that found that rice distributed through public distributed system (PDS) in these districts was unfit for human consumption and meant to be suitable for livestock and poultry, as per government officials.
Earlier in the day, demanding an apology from the BJP government, leader Opposition in the state assembly and former chief minister Kamal Nath called the distribution of such rice among people ‘a criminal act against humanity’.
An official communique from the state government released on Wednesday night said, “The services of quality controllers responsible for ensuring quality of rice in Balaghat and Mandla districts have been terminated, while the district manager of Balaghat has been suspended in the case. Action is being taken against the concerned millers by registering FIR against them.”
Principal secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Faiz Ahmad Kidwai, said, “So far FIRs have been lodged against eight millers. If we identify more millers responsible for distribution of such rice we will lodge FIRs against them too.”
The state government’s official communique said, “Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has given strict instructions against the guilty while taking the issue seriously of supply of poor quality rice in some places in Balaghat and Mandla districts. He clearly warned that those involved in irregularities and black marketing of ration, fertilizer etc. will not be spared and stern action will be taken by registering a criminal case against them.”
{{/usCountry}}The state government’s official communique said, “Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has given strict instructions against the guilty while taking the issue seriously of supply of poor quality rice in some places in Balaghat and Mandla districts. He clearly warned that those involved in irregularities and black marketing of ration, fertilizer etc. will not be spared and stern action will be taken by registering a criminal case against them.”
{{/usCountry}}As per the official information, as many as 51 joint teams of Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Food & Civil Supplies Corporation, constituted to test the quality of rice, took 1021 samples of rice from both the districts. As a result of preliminary investigation, 57 of these samples were found to be sub-standard.
As per the provision of the State Custom Milling Policy, sub-standard rice given by the millers after custom milling will be returned and rice of standard quality will be obtained from him, said the government in a statement.
State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta released a letter dated August 21 of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System written to the principal secretary of Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Madhya Pradesh which stated, “..in total 32 samples (31 from depots and one from ration shop) were collected. The samples were analysed in the NABL accredited Central Grain Analysis Laboratory (CGAL), Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi….”
“The analysis report of all the total 32 samples were found to be not just below the rejection limit as per the uniform specifications issued by the ministry but also beyond the PFA standards as per FSSAI. The stocks are found to be unfit for human consumption and in the categories of Feed-I which is meant to be suitable for livestock feed (such as goat, horse, sheep), Feed-II which is suitable for cattle feed and Feed-III which is suitable for poultry feed as per the guidelines for the issuance/disposal of the stocks.”