Close X
Saturday, November 2, 2024
ADVT 
India

Akali Dal seeks CBI probe into Rs 500 crore wheat, flour delivery 'scam' in Punjab

Darpan News Desk, 05 Mar, 2024 03:16 PM
  • Akali Dal seeks CBI probe into Rs 500 crore wheat, flour delivery 'scam' in Punjab

Chandigarh, March 4 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the home delivery of wheat and flour in Punjab by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, alleging Rs 500 crore would be looted from the treasury by allotting this work to Delhi-based companies close to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Addressing the media here, senior party leaders Parambans Singh Romana and Winnerjit Goldy claimed that contracts worth Rs 655 crore had been awarded to two companies owned by Kejriwal confidant R.K. Mittal without advertising the tender document in any newspaper of Punjab.

"The entire tender was tailor-made for these selected companies, one of whom – R.K. Associates supplied food in Shatabdi trains," they said, alleging that a scam was being perpetrated at every stage of the home delivery service with the companies being awarded a delivery cost of Rs 24 crore per month to deliver wheat and flour at a cost of Rs 3 per kg within a radius of eight km only.

They said similarly Rs 3 per kg rate had been awarded to repackage wheat at a cost of Rs 14.40 crore per month and Rs 5.50 per kg to mill wheat to supply as flour at a cost of Rs 17.60 crore per month, and this entire cost, if calculated for the entire year, came to Rs 384 crore.

Romana and Goldy said the companies would use 16 lakh Markfed bags to distribute both wheat and flour and that the same would be retained with the companies which would result in a pilferage of Rs 108 crore. The bag with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s picture which would be delivered to the beneficiaries along with wheat and flour would entail a further cost of Rs 125 crore.

Besides, Rs 65,000 per month was being paid for management of wheat and flour at 800 company shops which would be manned by two persons.

Asserting that the state would be burdened to the tune of Rs 655 crore by this scheme whose sole purpose was to woo the electorate in other states prior to the Lok Sabha elections, the SAD leaders said the same was being done by ration depot holders at a cost of 47 paisa per kg and involved a total cost of only Rs 45 crore per annum.

"This is a massive scam as the entire home delivery can be done at a fraction of the cost," the leaders asserted. They also disclosed that a further Rs 300 to Rs 400 crore were likely to be spent on advertising the scheme in Punjab and in other states entailing a total cost of Rs 1,000 crore to the state exchequer.

"It is clear that at least Rs 500 crore is being pilfered to finance AAP at the cost of Punjab and this deserves a CBI probe," the Akali Dal leaders added.

Punjab Depot Dealers Federation President Sukhwinder Kanjla said besides taking away the livelihood of 18,000 depot holders as well as others associated with them, the scheme would also inconvenience the beneficiaries. He said the depot holders were giving wheat to the beneficiaries for a period of three months in one go and were available round the clock while now beneficiaries would get wheat and flour every month at specific times during the day which would not be convenient for daily wagers.

MORE India ARTICLES

Man who threatened to blow up Mumbai Airport nabbed from Kerala

Man who threatened to blow up Mumbai Airport nabbed from Kerala
On Thursday, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) received an anonymous email threatening to "blow up Terminal 2 within 48 hours" if the man making the threat was not paid an amount of $1 million in Bitcoin. Following the ultimatum, the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. Lodged a complaint with the Sahar police station which swung into action.  

Man who threatened to blow up Mumbai Airport nabbed from Kerala

Punjab CM assures protesting sugarcane growers of hiking procurement rate

Punjab CM assures protesting sugarcane growers of hiking procurement rate
Facing protests by sugarcane growers, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday assured that the state government would continue to give them highest rate in the coming times. Interacting with the media after meeting farmer unions here, he said the government has always been on top to provide rates to the sugarcane cultivators and now also this trend will be continued.  

Punjab CM assures protesting sugarcane growers of hiking procurement rate

Punjab Police to guide commuters with real-time traffic updates

Punjab Police to guide commuters with real-time traffic updates
Ahead of the launch of the 'Sadak Surakhya Force' project, the Punjab Police is all set to take help of the MapmyIndia's Mappls app, to guide commuters with real-time traffic updates and safety alerts. The 'Sadak Surakhya Force' is a special police team dedicated towards road safety and effectively chasing criminals.  

Punjab Police to guide commuters with real-time traffic updates

135 rescued from burning high-rise in South Mumbai's Byculla

135 rescued from burning high-rise in South Mumbai's Byculla
At least 135 residents trapped in a burning high-rise in south Mumbai were rescued from different floors in the early hours of Thursday, the BMC Disaster Control said. A massive blaze was reported from a MHADA Building No. 3-C at Ghodapdev in Byculla around 3.30 a.m.

135 rescued from burning high-rise in South Mumbai's Byculla

India’s first woman judge of Supreme Court Fatima Beevi passes away at 96

India’s first woman judge of Supreme Court Fatima Beevi passes away at 96
India’s first woman judge of the Supreme Court Fathima Beevi breathed her last at a private hospital at Kollam on Thursday. She was 96-years-old and was in hospital for a while. Beevi, who was living at her home in Pathanamthitta after retirement, has a number of firsts to her name.

India’s first woman judge of Supreme Court Fatima Beevi passes away at 96

Delhi’s air quality continues to be in ‘very poor’ category

Delhi’s air quality continues to be in ‘very poor’ category
The overall air quality in Delhi continued to be in the ‘very poor' category with the AQI at 388 on Thursday evening, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

Delhi’s air quality continues to be in ‘very poor’ category