MP’s Vanishing Paddy: Now, 8936 Quintals Missing In Seoni

In a surprising case, a total of 8,936 quintals of paddy worth around Rs 1.95 crore have been missing after procurement in Seoni district. A case was registered against three people on January 29.

However, this is not an isolated case, earlier on January 27, also five people were booked in Jabalpur after around 4,700 quintals of paddy that was procured by govt was not found in the warehouse. And on January 13, an FIR was registered against three persons as paddy was fraudulently procured in the name of a farmer who had neither registered nor sold any paddy to the govt in Balaghat district.

In the recent case at Seoni district, 7,400 quintals of paddy that was procured at Sewa Shahkari Samiti Takhlakala, was transported offline and had not reached the warehouse, besides 1,536 quintals of paddy that was procured was found missing at the procurement centre itself. Overall, 8936 quintals of paddy that was procured at the centre has been siphoned off. The missing paddy is worth Rs 1.95 crore, says the FIR registered on the complaint of the administrator of the co-operative society. Administrator of the said co-operative society A D Tantuway had lodged a complaint at Ari police station of the district. Based on his complaint a case has been registered against manager of the co-operative, Satyanarayan Baghel, computer operator, Abhishek Katre, daily wager Shobhachand Baghel.

The anomalies that surfaced a few days ago at Jabalpur leading to FIR against 5 people, were also of similar nature. A case was registered at Panagar police station against the manager of the procurement committee and other four persons associated with Sewa Sahkari Samiti Nuniyakalan based on a complaint made by officials of food and civil supplies department. The officials have informed police in the complaint that during the probe and physical verification at the warehouse it was found that 2,917 sacks of paddy procured by government that was stored at the warehouse contained sub-standard paddy, name of farmers and respective codes were not found on the paddy sacks at the warehouse and while overall 96,642 quintals of paddy was procured only 50,716 quintals of paddy was found during investigation at the warehouse.

Sources said that in majority of the cases, paddy does not go missing, but is actually not procured. The procurement is all on records and the money is siphoned off.

This article was been republished from The Times of India.