Date:25/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102551910300.htm

Karnataka

Inquiry ordered into ‘scam’

Staff Correspondent

‘Substandard foodgrains distributed’

‘Priority for SHGs while issuing tenders’
Nine complaints received during grievances meet

Chitradurga: Deputy Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas has ordered an inquiry into an alleged scam in which a few officials have been accused of distributing substandard foodgrains to anganwadi workers.

On Wednesday, several members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) staged a protest alleging that a few officials were working hand-in-glove with vendors and supplying poor quality foodgrains.

They alleged that the vendors were paid more than the market price for the foodgrains, despite which they were supplying low-quality stuff.

Detailed report

Mr. Biswas, who was chairing a district-level meeting to address public grievances on the issue of food security here on Friday, directed the Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a detailed report. He instructed the officials concerned to maintain transparency in the tender process for the supply of foodgrains. “Ensure that foodgrains supplied to anganwadi workers is of good quality and is in accordance with the price quoted in the tender,” he said.

Replying to allegations that the officials, instead of allotting tenders to self-help groups, were giving them to other vendors, Mr. Biswas clarified that the Government had said that priority should be given to self-help groups. However, it had not made it mandatory for tenders to be issued to them, he added.

On the district-level meetings to address public grievances, Mr. Biswas said they had been suspended following the Government’s decision to hold such meetings at the village level on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

However, the Government had ordered the administration to hold district-level meetings to redress the people’s grievances on the second and fourth Fridays instead. The Friday meetings would receive complaints on the public distribution system, midday meal scheme and food security, while general grievances could be submitted at the taluk-level meetings, he added.

The Deputy Commissioner has issued a show-cause notice to the Chitradurga taluk tahsildar for not redressing a complaint received at a meeting three months ago. Nine complaints, mainly relating to the distribution of rations and cards, were received at the meeting here on Friday.