Food for work: Rice goes missing from PDS units

CM Raman Singh’s home district of Kawardha and state Agriculture Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar’s Korba are among the 10 districts where the scam has come to light. The other districts include Bilaspur, Rajnandgaon, Kanker, Jashpur, Mahasamund, Sarguja and Jangir-Champa. The scam has caused a loss of more than

Rs 8 crore to the state, said officials. In some of the districts, the rice did not even reach the PDS outlets as they were siphoned off and sold in the black market.

In Kawardha and Korba, at least 1,800 tonnes of rice worth Rs 1 crore has gone missing from PDS outlets. A warehouse manager has been suspended and manager of the local cooperative society at Pandriya transferred.

Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar said the issue came to light two days ago and the government is sounding out district collectors. ‘‘State Chief Secretary A.K. Vijayvargya yesterday held a meeting with top government officials. He has also written to the collectors, asking them to submit reports. We will order an inquiry or refer the case to the Economic Offences Wing if the irregularities are confirmed,’’ he added.

Buddhu Ram, a labourer from Bilaspur, said he had worked for 35 days with his wife and two daughters in Lohrmi block last year but were yet to get the rice. Agriculture Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar said the government would release more rice for distribution among the labourers.

The issue was brought up in the last Assembly session when rebel MLA of the ruling party Dev Lal Dugga offered to provide documentary proofs of the rice scam in Kanker district.