Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant today said strict action will be taken against 6 persons for their involvement in the wastage of toor dal.
“I have received a file from the Vigilance department pertaining to the Toor Dal wastage issue. As per the vigilance inquiry, 6 persons are involved in this matter. I have asked the vigilance department to initiate strict action against them,” said CM Sawant
He further informed that he has marked the file to vigilance for investigation and to fix responsibilities in terms of sugar wastage.
CM had ordered a vigilance inquiry into alleged lapses wherein 242 metric tonnes (MT) of toor dal (pigeon pea) were left to rot in civil supplies godowns.
Around 400 metric tonnes of toor dal were procured from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) in 2020 during the lockdown period to supply to containment zones at the price of `83 per kg (total cost `3.32 crore), but only 158 metric tonnes of dal were distributed, and hence fair price shops were asked to lift the remaining quantity for sale.
The issue came to light recently after the state government had issued an advertisement inviting bidders to dispose of it.
The toor dal was procured when its price in the retail market was Rs 112 per kg while the department directed fair price shop owners to sell it at Rs 83 per kg.
But due to poor response from the ration card holders, most of the fair price shop owners refused to pick up the balance quota, and it started rotting in the godowns located in all 12 talukas.
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