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Patna,(BiharTimes): Though the Food for Work programme of the central government was abolished in the year 2005-06 after the introduction of schemes under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) the state government is yet to recover foodgrains worth Rs 305 crore from the PDS dealers.
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Under the programme labourers used to get food from PDS outlets for work they used to do. In 2005-06 it was replaced by NREGA, which later became MNREGA. But the foodgrains meant for Food for Work could not be withdrawn from the PDS shops. In fact foodgrains worth just Rs 21 crore out of total Rs 326 crore could be recovered.
There are in all 17,990 dealers in 38 districts of the state. Out of this 8,928 dealers have not retunred the foodgrains.
According to a report procured by RTI activist, Shiv Prakash Rai, after the closure of programme 1.60 crore quintal of foodgrains remained with the dealers and could not be withdrawn till date.
Even the rural development department of the state government acknowledges this fact but hardly any action has been taken against any officials in this regard.
The report also said that 1,151 dealers have foodgrains worth over Rs four lakh with them.
So far FIRs have been lodged against 705 dealers and 49 licences cancelled. Only 13 people have been arrested in this connection.
Shri Prakash Rai alleged that the entire foodgrains have been looted by dealer-official nexus.
So after the MNREGA scam this is the second big scandal which came to light and once again by social activist and not by the government agency.
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