6,000 quintals of foodgrain rot in Jharkhand
By IANSFriday, January 14, 2011
RANCHI - At a time when prices of essential commodities are spiralling, a whopping 6,000 quintals of foodgrain have been found rotting in a State Food Corporation (SFC) warehouse in Ranchi since 2006. The government Friday said strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
“Around 5,000 quintals of wheat and 1,000 quintals of rice in the SFC godown in Ranchi has rotted. These foodgrain were meant for food for work schemes and have been lying there since 2006,” a source in the Jharkhand government told IANS.
The rotten foodgrain were detected during stock verification early this week. Initially, according to sources, officials tried to dump the rotten foodgrain but could not succeed.
The state government has taken the matter seriously.
“This is a serious issue. Action will be taken against the culprits after a probe,” state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Mathura Mahto told reporters here Friday.
Though it has been 10 years since Jharkhand was carved out as a separate state from Bihar, the State Food Corporation (SFC) is still controlled by the Bihar government.
Fifty-four percent of Jharkhand’s population comes under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and the state has been facing a drought for the last six years.
