HT Digital
GUWAHATI, JUNE 20: In a large-scale crackdown against public distribution malpractice, officials have confiscated a huge quantity of misused government-provided rice from two godowns in Assam’s Goalpara district in the Balbala area. The raid, just a day before the planned June 20 rice distribution, resulted in the recovery of 420 bags—about 210 quintals—of rice that was intended to be distributed among Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries.
The recovered rice was found in premises run by co-operative agent Aliul Rahman. Under official PDS policy, agents are allowed to hold a maximum of five quintals on the last day of distribution to account for any last-minute recipients. But Rahman had 205 quintals beyond the authorized amount, sparking concerns about massive diversion and attempted black-market resale.
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Sources have claimed that Rahman was illegally taking ration cards from rightful beneficiaries in return for money. Not only did this illegal act deprive poor families of their food entitlement but also went against the very principle of the PDS, whose purpose is to provide food security for poor families.
Police took Rahman into custody and are questioning him. The authorities are likely to widen the investigation, considering the magnitude of the irregularity and possible involvement of other people in the distribution chain.
