Mansa police arrests 3 for wheat pilferage
Thursday, 22/08/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130823/punjab.htm#25
Bathinda : The Mansa police has arrested three persons, including two running ration depots, for selling wheat meant for BPL (below poverty line) families in the open market in connivance with middlemen.
The accused have reportedly confessed to siphoning 6,000 quintals of wheat from the BPL quota and supplying the same to a Ludhiana- based businessmen, who in turn supplied it to flour mills across the state. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mansa, Narinder Bhargav, said the pilfered wheat was stocked at Ludhiana for further supply. He said 150 quintals of wheat was recovered from the three accused. He said the racket could be much larger as 6,000 quintals of wheat was pilfered by one ration depot alone.
Those arrested were identified as middleman Rajwinder Singh and the Mansa-based ration depot holders Virinder Singh and Honey. They had stocked the pilfered wheat at a godown near Kenchian in Mansa against norms.
The role of employees of the Food and Civil Supplies Department was being probed.
The ration depots supply subsidised wheat to four categories of card holders.
Under the BPL-Antoyadya scheme, 35 kg of wheat is supplied every month to one card holder at Rs 2 per kg. Under another scheme, wheat is supplied at Rs 4.70 per kg and the maximum of 35 kg to each card. For blue card holders, the wheat is provided at Rs 4 per kg and for ration card holders above the poverty line at Rs 8 per kg.
