Uttar Pradesh government today promised full cooperation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-thousand crore food grain scam in the state.
On December 3, Allahabad High Court had directed the central agency for a comprehensive probe in the food grain scam spanning several districts of the state. The orders were passed on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vishwanath Chaturvedi.
The CBI is now probing the scam, which allegedly took place between March 2004 to October 2005 in the state. The scam has been alleged to be worth Rs 35,000 crore or more. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also probing the case.
“The Special Investigation Team (SIT) and other state agencies have been directed to cooperate fully with CBI and provide any document required by it in connection with the inquiry,” Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary Information Vijay Shankar Pandey said addressing the media here. He said the state government was committed to bringing the guilty to the book. Pandey said the state had handed over the case to SIT for probe on June 27, 2007, whose probe revealed the scam had indeed occurred and the food grain was not only pilfered in the open market but was also smuggled to other countries.
“Acknowledging the interstate and international perspective of the scam, the state had recommended a CBI probe on December 1, 2007 itself. However, the CBI had expressed its inability to take up the case owing to the enormity of the scam,” he claimed.
The case pertains to the siphoning of food grain meant to be distributed among the below poverty line (BPL) persons under welfare schemes like Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna (SGRY), Antyodaya Yojana and Midday Meal Scheme. It is alleged while food grains were sold to private parties, a significant portion of it never reached the targeted groups.
Meanwhile, Pandey said the annual allocation of food grain to Uttar Pradesh under the three central schemes was to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore alone.