PANAJI
The controversy around the wastage of tur dal, which was put to rest by the government, has been exposed by the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) which has pegged a loss of around Rs 2 crore to the State exchequer. Goa government’s failure to a proper procurement plan has led to the massive loss, as per the CAG report tabled on the floor of the House on Thursday.
The report also pointed out that tur dal, which was left to rot in the godown for two years, was unsafe for not only human consumption but also cattle. It cited findings of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research dated April 9, 2021, that efforts to dispose of the tur dal as ingredients for cattle/poultry feed did not fructify as the tur dal was not suitable.
“Other efforts for disposal through alternate channels proved to be too late and led to the subsequent declaration of remaining 241.21 MT of tur dal as unsafe, not only for human consumption but also as cattle feed,” it said adding that an audit found that before taking up procurement, the Civil Supplies Department neither assessed the demand nor was Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited consulted/ contracted for sale of 100 MT.
“…led to excess procurement and failure to sell in a timely manner, resulting in 241.21 MT of tur dal being declared “unsafe food,” which caused a loss of Rs 1.91 crore to the exchequer,” the report mentioned.
How the scam unfolded
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the department decided to provide relief to the 2.04 lakh ration card holders through the supply of one kg tur dal at Rs 83/kg per for four months from April to July 2020 under the Public Distribution System.
The sale of 100 MT of tur dal was planned through the GSHCL while the remaining tur dal was to be sold through Fair Price Shops (FPS). Accordingly, the department on March 30, 2020 placed an order with the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) for supply of 800 MT of tur dal at Rs 79,000 per MT.
Through the Secretary, the department on April 8, 2020 granted post-facto administrative approval and expenditure sanction of Rs 6.80 crore for procurement of 800 MT. The State cabinet on April 22, 2020 resolved to distribute 408 MT tur dal, one kg per card for a period of two months from April to May 2020. Accordingly, the department Director modified the purchase quantity to 408 MT.
Out of 400 MT supplied by NAFED, 139.57 MT (34.23 per cent) was lifted by FPS during April-May 2020. Despite further extensions till September 2020, only 16.42 MT of the balance of 260.43 MT was lifted by FPS and the reason for the low off-take was poor response from ration card holders.
Horticulture refused to lift expensive tur dal
GSHCL, on August 31, 2020 refused to lift the tur dal as they were procuring polished dal from the open market at Rs 73/kg, which was preferred by consumers, as against the partially polished tur dal supplied by the department at a higher price of Rs 80/kg.
Thereafter, the Education Department on November 10, 2020 agreed to lift the entire 241.21 MT for distribution under the mid-day meal scheme. However, a quality check carried out by the Food and Drugs Administration at the behest of the Secretary, Civil Supplies revealed that the entire quantity of tur dal was “unsafe food”.
“Thus, non-preparation of an appropriate procurement plan, based on an estimation of the capacity of the FPS/other channels resulted in 241.21 MT (60 per cent) of tur dal valued at Rs 1.91 crore remaining unsold for seven months. Moreover, the consignments of tur dal were accepted by the department from NAFED’s vendor without adequate checks,” the CAG observed.
Civil Supplies accepts mistake
The department, in its communication last year admitted that GSHCL was not consulted during the planning stage to sell 100 MT tur dal through their outlets.
CAG stated that the failure of the department to estimate consumer demand, ascertain the lifting capacity of FPS and accordingly plan for procurement/ distribution of required quantities in a staggered manner, led to excess procurement and failure to sell in a timely manner, resulting in 241.21 MT of tur dal being declared “unsafe food”, which caused a loss of Rs 1.91 crore to the exchequer.
