CHENNAI: The State Government is ready for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the recent instance of rice smuggling, Food Minister E.V. Velu said on Friday.
Reacting to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa’s demand, Mr. Velu said there was nothing for the Government to hide.
Case filed
A communication would be sent to the CBI Director. The enquiry would reveal when the smuggling took place and who was behind it. He pointed out that the smuggled rice had been seized and the State Government had already filed a case.
Stating that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government took office in May 2006, he said in March 2006, a company obtained a loan from a bank by pledging the rice. This could have been done only if the rice was smuggled earlier.
Refuting Ms. Jayalalithaa’s statement that the Chennai office of the Food Corporation of India had confirmed that the rice seized at Puducherry was meant for the public distribution system in Tamil Nadu, an official release of the FCI stated that the organisation released the rice stocks to the State Government for PDS and other Centrally-sponsored schemes against the allocations made by the Centre to State agencies from the designated depots of the FCI on pre-payment of the cost of the food grains.
After lifting the stocks from Corporation godowns, the State Government and its agencies had to ensure the distribution of food grains to ultimate beneficiaries, according to the FCI release.
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
