Chhattisgarh’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Dayaldas Baghel, has asserted that discrepancies were uncovered in the functioning of ration shops during the previous Congress administration’s tenure.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Baghel announced that the state government intends to investigate alleged irregularities at fair price shops operating under the Public Distribution System (PDS) during the prior Congress regime.
According to Baghel, during the tenure of the Bhupesh Baghel-led government, significant discrepancies in ration distribution were discovered, with ration stocks worth a substantial ₹216 crore reported missing. Consequently, a committee comprising legislators will conduct a fresh inquiry into the matter.
The issue was brought to light by BJP legislators Dharamlal Kaushik, Ajay Chandrakar, and Rajesh Munat during the question hour of the Chhattisgarh assembly session. Kaushik accused rice mafias of diverting ration meant for the impoverished populace to line their pockets.
In response, Minister Baghel disclosed that food inspectors and assistant food officers conducted physical verifications of ration stocks in 13,392 fair price shops by the end of 2022. The inspections revealed shortages totaling ₹216.08 crore, including 44,240 tonnes of rice valued at ₹192.65 crore across 5,882 fair price shops.
Baghel further revealed that the then food minister, Amarjeet Bhagat, had pledged to present a report on the alleged irregularities by March 24. However, the session was adjourned sine die on March 23 that year.
Following the inspectors’ report, licenses of 181 shops and 227 fair price shops were revoked. Additionally, FIRs were lodged against 24 shop operators for purportedly misusing PDS rations and other infractions. Notably, Baghel lamented the absence of action against government officials and employees implicated in the irregularities.