Rice sent from Punjab to Arunachal, Nagaland ‘unfit for consumption’

Consequently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has written to Food Corporation of India (FCI) to cheque the prime of grains stored successful Sangrur, Jalandhar and Nabha FCI districts, from wherever the stocks were moved to the recipient states. The ministry successful its missive (written connected November 13) to FCI has besides asked the officials to region the stocks ‘unfit for quality consumption’ from the nutrient chain. It has besides asked the FCI to cheque wherefore this was happening.

Recently, 11,241 quintals of atom was sent to Dimapur (Nagaland) and Assam. On November 12 and 13, the samples of these atom failed the prime test. As galore arsenic 18 wagons with 23,097 quintals of atom had insect infestation. The fortified atom was besides nether par (below standard). According to an authoritative document, a transcript of which is with The Indian Express, “The wagons with atom from Sangrur were unloaded connected November 12 and 13 astatine Dimapur (Nagaland) and recovered to beryllium infested/BRL.”

However, the Punjab authorities appears to beryllium unfazed.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the authorities authorities official, connected the information of anonymity, said that it was nary of its (Punjab) fault. “Our paddy was procured 2 years ago. Milled and fortified atom was supplied to FCI a fewer months aft that. Now, we are not successful the picture. If they are moving atom 2 years aft milling, however tin we accidental thing astir the infestation? It is up to FCI. They had to store it good and marque definite determination was nary insect infestation. After a seller supplies grains to a purchaser, the seller’s work ends there. If the purchaser is not capable to support the prime of the grains, we cannot beryllium blamed. Our farmers supplied paddy. Our millers milled it. We got our currency recognition limit. They cannot blasted the millers now. When the milled atom was handed implicit to FCI, it was successful bully condition,” the authoritative added.

Tarsem Saini, president of Punjab Rice Millers’ Association, however, said that FCI volition haul up the millers eventually. “They volition inquire america to regenerate the atom which has been recovered to beryllium damaged. Why blasted america erstwhile they are not consenting to determination the atom to user states astatine the close time. These are foodgrains and not bricks. These person a support beingness and also, if not cared for, these get infested with insects,” helium said.

Saini said helium could odor a conspiracy against Punjab successful the full “game”. “It is wide that they are doing each this deliberately. They privation to amusement that Punjab’s atom is not required. When it is supplied past they accidental it is not of bully quality. They privation to unit the farmers to diversify from atom without helping them with immoderate diversification plan. It is conscionable a discrediting run against the state.”

He alleged that it was nether this full crippled program that Punjab’s atom was not moved retired of godowns which had yet led to problems of lifting. “Why would farmers turn atom if they cognize the godowns are already full”
This is the archetypal clip that the ministry of nutrient has complained astir the prime of atom successful 4 states, Saini said, adding that “it utilized to hap earlier besides but this clip it has happened successful 4 states. In the past they person asked the millers to regenerate the stock. They person not asked america thing yet. Let america see”.

On October 23 this year, the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Government of India, had written a missive to FCI astir an inspection conducted connected Food Storage Depots (FSDs) successful FCI territory Banderdewa, Arunachal Pradesh. During the inspection a full of 19 atom samples were collected.

The missive (a transcript of which is with The Indian Express) stated, “Based connected the investigation reports, 15 samples retired of full 19 were recovered to beryllium beyond rejection bounds (BRL) arsenic per the Uniform Specifications issued by the DFPD, and 3 samples were recovered beyond FSSAI standards i.e. unfit for quality consumption.”

The connection added, “Arunachal Pradesh is simply a non-DCP authorities and does not transportation retired procurement operations, hence, receives foodgrains from different states. In the said case, the root of the samples that are unfit for quality depletion (i.e. beyond FSSAI limit) is FCI territory Sangrur, Punjab. The beingness of specified prime of the banal raises superior concerns astir the wide prime of the banal astatine some the FCI territory Sangrur, Punjab, and FCI territory Banderdewa, Arunachal Pradesh. Further, the deliberation of the investigation results intelligibly depicts the sedate and superior shortcomings successful the duties of the districts’ officers, officials and authorities progressive successful the full transmission from procurement to distribution. Therefore, the unit acrophobic shall beryllium identified since the deficiency of adherence to their responsibilities has led to superior implications that whitethorn hamper the nutrient information of the state. The unfit for quality depletion banal shall beryllium instantly removed from the nutrient concatenation to debar detrimental effect connected wellness of the beneficiaries nether PDS.”

It further said, “It has been decided by the competent authorization that the FCI shall verify the prime of foodgrains preserved astatine each godowns for the harvest twelvemonth 2022-23 and 2023-24 nether the FCI territory Sangrur, Punjab Region, and FCI territory Banderdewa, Arunachal Pradesh Region. The elaborate study of specified appraisal whitethorn beryllium submitted wrong 15 days to the ministry. Thereafter, connected introspection of the appraisal report, the ministry successful its supervising capableness whitethorn besides cross-verify the assessed stock. The implicit enactment taken study successful the said substance whitethorn beryllium furnished to the ministry wrong 30 days of the contented of this letter.”