Punjab vigilance to probe Rs 31,000-crore foodgrain ‘scam’ in SAD-BJP regime

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the consortium of 33 banks had, last year, refused to provide the Cash Credit Limit (CCL) guarantee to Punjab for purchase of paddy till the foodgrain money was accounted for.

The Punjab vigilance bureau will conduct a thorough probe into the Rs 31,000-crore alleged scam in foodgrain procurement in the state, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday.

He said that his government would get to “the root of the scam” and ensure stringent punishment for the guilty.

The Congress, before it came to power in Punjab earlier this month, had rejected the previous government’s move to convert the alleged misappropriation of Rs 31,000 crore into a term loan.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the consortium of 33 banks had, last year, refused to provide the Cash Credit Limit (CCL) guarantee to Punjab for purchase of paddy till the foodgrain money was accounted for.

Amarinder Singh told media here on Wednesday that a ‘white paper’ on the state’s poor financial health would soon be made public to fix the accountability of all those responsible for it. “That would be an eye opener for people and will acquaint them with the mismanagement and maladministration of the decade-long misrule of the erstwhile SAD-BJP government,” he added.