Meghalaya alleged rice scam: Social Welfare dept. 'temporarily' stops Continental Milkose from supplying fortified food

"The contract for the supply of the fortified food will be given to another approved supplier/manufacturer and, the department is still working on finalising the name of the supplier(s)," Shylla said. 

 | 
SHILLONG: 

Amid criticisms and controversies surrounding the alleged rice scam, Meghalaya Social Minister Kyrmen Shylla on Thursday informed that the department has temporarily stopped Continental Milkose Ltd., the approved manufacturer for the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), from processing and supplying the fortified food till investigation by Assam police is completed. 

"The contract for the supply of the fortified food will be given to another approved supplier/manufacturer and, the department is still working on finalising the name of the supplier(s)," Shylla said. 

The minister further informed that as per the explanation given by the manufacturer - Continental Milkose, the rice which was taken from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown was supposed to be transported to Noida for repackaging but was kept in a godown in Assam due to transportation problem, owing to the COVID-induced lockdown. 

"According to them (Continental Milkose), since they have been allotted the indent (for three months starting July 2021), they were given 12 days to take out the rice from FCI godown otherwise, the allotment will be cancelled," Shylla said. 

Meanwhile, the department is awaiting the probe report from the Assam police to get more clarity on the matter. "What the rice is doing there (Assam godown) we don't know. Let's wait for the report from Assam police," he added. 

The minister also asserted that this is not a scam because the rice allotted from FCI to the social welfare department is not missing. "There is no scam from our side; this is our claim. Let's accept one lakh bags of rice were found in the godown but, not all those bags belong to us as only 33,000 bags belong to the social welfare department and, they are still lying there," he clarified. 

Reacting to allegations of fortified food being fed to pigs due to the refusal of some beneficiaries to accept the packets, Shylla admitted that such reports have come to his attention and, it is a problem that the department is trying to resolve. 

"These nutritious food are like medicines. Some children may like it, some may not but that does not mean they are bad for health. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the food as testing is being done every quarter. Our concern is that our children get their best quality food on time," he added. 

When asked about the growing demand for an enquiry into this matter, Shylla said the department is open to any enquiry. "It is just a matter of time as we have to wait for the Assam police probe report," he asserted. 

Earlier, cabinet minister and spokesperson of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government James PK Sangma had stated that it is too premature to comment on whether or not the government is in favour of an enquiry into this matter. 

"The matter is being looked into by the Assam government and, there is no short supply of these fortified food items till now so, one can assume that there has been no misappropriation here," Sangma had stated. 

Recently, the opposition Congress had demanded a proper probe into the alleged rice scam, seeking clarification on the confiscation of 12-15 rice bags-laden trucks by the Assam police recently.

(Edited by Ibankyntiew Mawrie)

ALSO READ: Meghalaya: Cong MP Pala says UDP's ‘Bindo knows’ enquiry needed into Social Welfare Dept’s food scam

TNT-The Northeast Today is now on WhatsApp. CLICK HERE to receive more updates on your phone.

ALSO WATCH: