Lok Sabha Question No. 1482 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-03
Subject: Food Scam
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: RAJ KUMAR SAINI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1482 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03rd MAY, 2016 FOOD SCAM

## 1482. SHRI RAJKUMAR SAINI:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  scam  involving  misappropriation  of  food  items  worth crores of rupees have been reported from several States including Haryana during the year 2015-16;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State and item-wise; and
- (c) the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard including the action taken against the persons found guilty indicating the details of the recoveries made?

## A N S W E R MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI RAM  VILAS PASWAN)

- (a) to (c): There have been reports about irregularities in implementation of  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS)  in  certain  regions/States including  Haryana  in  the  country.  TPDS  is  operated  under  the  joint responsibility of the Central and the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments wherein operational responsibilities for allocation of foodgrains  within  the  States/UTs,  identification  of  eligible  beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them and supervision over and monitoring of functioning  of  Fair  Price  Shops  (FPSs),  etc.  rest  with  the  concerned State/UT Governments. Therefore, as and when complaints are received by the  Government  from  individuals  and  organizations  as  well  as  through press reports, they are sent to State/UT Governments concerned for inquiry and  appropriate  action.  A  statement  indicating  State-wise  number  of complaints  on  TPDS  including  complaints  related  to  Haryana  for  period 2015 - 2016 is at Annexure-I.

Relevant  clauses  of  the  Public  Distribution  System  (Control)  Order, 2001  and  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (Control)  Order,  2015, mandates  the  State/UT  Governments  to  carry  out  all  required  action  to ensure  smooth  functioning  of  TPDS.    Under  the  said  Control  Orders,  the State/UT  Governments  are  responsible  for  implementing  TPDS  and  are competent to take action against those indulging in malpractices in TPDS. An offence committed in violation of the provisions of these Orders is liable for penal action under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Thus, both the Orders empower State/UT Governments to take punitive action in case of contravention of relevant provisions of these Orders.

The  information  received  from  Government  of  Haryana  regarding alleged food scam is at Annexure-II.

As already mentioned, the operational responsibilities of implementation  of  TPDS  within  the  State  including  action  to  be  taken against  the  defaulters  including  the  State  Government  officials/officers rest with the concerned State/UT Government. Therefore, the information/details of employees/officers continuing to serve in the State Government Departments despite enquiries pending against them, contemplation of giving voluntary retirements to them  etc., is not maintained in this Department.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (c)  OF  THE UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1482  DUE  FOR  ANSWER  ON  03.05.2016  IN THE LOK SABHA

## STATEMENT:   COMPLAINTS ON TPDS RECEIVED  IN THE DEPARTMENT FROM INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS & THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS ETC FROM 2015 & 2016 (upto 31.01.2016)

| S. No.            | State/UT            | 2015   | 2016   |
|-------------------|---------------------|--------|--------|
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh      | 8      | -      |
| 2                 | Arunachal Pradesh   | 1      | -      |
| 3                 | Assam               | 34     | 1      |
| 4                 | Bihar               | 106    | 4      |
| 5                 | Chhattisgarh        | 6      | -      |
| 6                 | Delhi               | 113    | 2      |
| 7                 | Goa                 | -      | -      |
| 8 Gujarat         |                     | 8      | -      |
| 9                 | Haryana             | 35     | 2      |
| 10 Himachal       | Pradesh             | 4      | 1      |
| 11 Jammu &Kashmir | 5                   |        | -      |
| 12                | Jharkhand           | 32     | -      |
| 13                | Karnataka           | 16     | -      |
| 14                | Kerala              | 16     | 3      |
| 15 Madhya         | Pradesh 17          |        | 1      |
| 16                |                     | 48     | 4      |
| 17                | Maharashtra Manipur | 6      | -      |
| 18                | Meghalaya           | 7      | -      |
| 19 Mizoram        |                     | -      | -      |
| 20                | Nagaland            | -      | -      |
| 21                | Orissa              | 22     | 3      |
| 22                | Punjab              | 10     | -      |
| 23 Rajasthan      |                     | 33     | -      |
| 24                | Sikkim              | -      | -      |
| 25 Tamil          | Nadu                | 22     | 1      |
| 26                | Telangana           | 10     | -      |
| 27                | Uttarakhand         | 24     | 1      |
| 28                | Uttar Pradesh       | 197    | 21     |
| 29 West           | Bengal              | 32     | 1      |
| 30                | Chandigarh          | 6      | -      |
| 31                | D&NHaveli           | -      | -      |
| 32                | Puducherry          | -      | -      |
| TOTAL             |                     | 818    | 45     |

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  to  (c)  OF THE  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1482  DUE  FOR ANSWER ON 03.05.2016

The  Government  of  Haryana  vide  Memo  No.  3SB-I-2016/8791 dated  29.04.2016  has  informed  that  during  2015-16  the  following scam  involving  misappropriation  in  food  items  worth  crores  of rupees have been reported:

## 1. Food Department

The  FCI  vide  letter  dated  04.08.2015  has  reported  that  during loading  of  racks  special  of  wheat  stock  it  was  observed  that  the wheat stock at Ismailabad Centre is short. On the reporting of FCI the  department  had  constituted  13  members  team  for  special physical  verification  of  stock.  The  team  pointed  out  shortage  of 182091  filled  wheat  bags  of  50  kg.  Thereafter  all  the  responsible officers and officials including team members of regular half yearly physical  verification  team  for  the  period  ending  30.06.2015  were place  under  suspension  and  criminal  case  FIR  No.  156  dated 16.11.2015 was registered against them at Police Station, Ismailabad Distt. Kurukshetra. The matter is under investigation of the  police.  After  investigation  and  after  assessment  of  the  actual loss, chargesheets for major penalty will be issued later on. In this case  the  estimated  loss  is  above  18  crores.  The  department  has also  issued  prosecution  sanction  to  prosecute  the  culprit  in  the case.

Further  the  special  physical  verification  of  wheat  stock  of Pehwa (Kurukshetra) was conducted by the team already constituted for Ismailabad centre and the Inter-Departmental Team reported shortage of 18882 filled wheat bags of 50 kg. Thereafter, all  the  responsible  officers  and  officials  including  the  physical verification  team  members  who  conducted  regular  half  yearly physical    verification  for  the  period  ending  30.06.2015  were  place under suspension and criminal case FIR No. 0118  dated 18.03.2016 was registered against them at Police Station, Pehwa. The matter is under  investigation  of  the  police  and  after  investigation  and  after assessing  the  actual  loss  chargesheets  for  major  penalty  will  be issued later on. In this case the estimated loss is about 2 crores.

## 2. Haryana Agro Industries Corporation Limited

A  quantity  of  7492.65  MT.  paddy  was  allotted  to  M/s  Shiv Shankar Rice Mill Badhauli, Naraingarh for its milling and delivery of CMR to FCI during current K.M.S.  2015-16. The State Government constituted team to carry out the physical verficaion of the paddy stocks given to the Rice Mills for its milling. The Physical Verification Team carried out the Physical Verification of the paddy stock lying in the premises of M/s Shiv Shankar Rice Mill Badhauli, Naraingarh (Ambala) and 6157.48 M.T. paddy worth Rs. 10.67 crores was  found  short.  An  FIR  No.  344  dated  26.12.2015  was  got registered  with  the  Police  Station,  Naraingarh,  District  Ambala, Haryana for misappropriation of paddy stocks. The Police Authorities  had  taken  the  custody  of  balance  quantity  of  1293.32 M.T.  paddy, 1.05 M.T. Rice and 11 (eleven) nos. gunny bales lying in the  premises  of  M/s  Shiv  Shankar  Rice  Mill.  The  Corporation  had filed  the  application  in  the  Court  at  Naraingarh  on  29.02.2016  for taking  said  paddy  and  other  articles  on  supardari  the  matter  is pending with the court for final adjudication.

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