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Naveen involved in dal scam, says Congress

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was involved in the multi-crore dal procurement scam and a price cartel was controlling the rate of the dal supplied under the mid-day meal scheme, supplementary nutrition programme and emergency feeding programme.

Accusing the Chief Minister of fixing a high rate for procurement of Arhar dal for supply to schools and Anganwadi centres across the State when the market price was low, Opposition Chief Whip in the State Assembly Prasad Harichandan said the State government had also not taken any action when the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Division) pointed out about difference of the price of the dal in question in the open market and the rate fixed for suppliers of dal for the feeding programmes.

The Congress leader also sought a clarification from the Chief Minister about changing the dal from mung dal to arhar for supply under the programmes.

The cartel that made huge money in the procurement and supply of dal under the feeding programmes involved people at various levels of the administration, top officials and Ministers, he alleged.

‘Probe delayed'

Mr. Harichandan alleged that the State government was delaying the ongoing vigilance department probe into the dal scam with a view to enabling all those involved in the matte to destroy the evidence that existed against them.

The Congress would again raise the dal scam issue in the second phase of the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly, he said.

The then Women and Child Welfare Minister Pramila Mallick had resigned from her post in the wake of the unearthing of the dal scam on `moral grounds'.

While the opposition parties have been demanding action against all those involved in the dal scam, a public interest petition seeking a CBI probe into the matter is also pending before the High Court.

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