With the opposition alleging gross irregularities in paddy procurement, the Haryana government on Wednesday ordered physical verification of paddy stocks by senior officers of the level of additional chief secretaries.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday told the state assembly that his government will get paddy stocks verified in 13 districts by administrative secretaries.
"Senior officers have been assigned for supervising the physical verification of paddy stocks of state procurement agencies lying in rice mills. The verification is to be completed in 20 days. The physical verification of paddy stock would be carried out under the supervision of additional chief secretary level officers," Khattar said.
The assurance was given after the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Congress demanded a probe into paddy procurement.
Both parties alleged that paddy was being hoarded by people with vested interests in the state and sold in the market when the prices of rice internationally went high.
They alleged that farmers in the state had been cheated by buying paddy at lower cost from them.
Haryana saw an unprecedented rise in paddy arrival in the state this season.
Against the target of only 36 lakh tonnes arrival of paddy announced by the state government earlier, the state has seen arrival of over 56 lakh tonnes paddy this time.
Khattar said Chief Secretary D.S. Dhesi has, in a letter to administrative secretaries, directed that the deputy commissioners in districts concerned would depute at least one senior gazetted officer, one police officer and one or two officers of the procurement agency concerned in the team constituted for conducting physical verification.
Haryana's Agriculture Minister O.P. Dhankar said the chief minister has given approval for physical verification of paddy stock.
Dhankar said inspection would be done of the rice millers, who have not supplied 20 percent of the rice till November 30, within the next 15 days. He said 41 millers were blacklisted last year for not supplying rice.
"No complaints pertaining to irregularities in procurement process have been received so far. Paddy is procured through rice mill owners on the behalf of government agencies every year, for which necessary quota is prescribed," the minister said.
