Low quality rice: MP govt sacks two food corporation employees

After the Congress's attack over the distribution of rice "unfit" for human consumption in the PDS shops, the Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday terminated the services of two quality controllers and ordered filing of an FIR against the millers involved in it.

The services of quality controllers (of Food and Civil Supplies Corporation) responsible for the quality work of rice in Balaghat and Mandla districts have been terminated, MP Public Relations Department said in a statement.

"The district manager of Balaghat has been suspended.

Action is being taken against the rice millers concerned after registration of an FIR," it said.

Fifty-one joint teams of the Food Corporation of India and Food and Civil Supplies Corporation were formed. They have collected 1,021 samples of rice from both the districts.

In the preliminary investigation, 57 of these samples were found to be of inferior quality.

The action was taken after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan issued directives to take strict action in this regard.

Earlier in the day, former chief minister Kamal Nath claimed that a central government probe has revealed that rice provided to people under the PDS in the state was not fit for human consumption.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Nath said, "The rice distributed under the public distribution system during the coronavirus epidemic in Madhya Pradesh was not fit for human consumption. This fact has come out in a letter written after the Central Government's investigation. It is a criminal act against humanity." However, the ruling BJP refuted Nath's allegation, saying that the rice found unfit for human consumption was purchased during the previous Congress-led government and demanded an apology from him for such a thing happening under his leadership.

Reacting to the Congress leader's tweet, state BJP media in-charge Lokendra Parashar said the rice which the central team found unfit for human consumption in Mandla and Balaghat districts was purchased by the Kamal Nath government.