With the Opposition alleging gross irregularities in paddy procurement and demanding an independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Haryana Government has decided to conduct physical verification of paddy stocks at all the rice mills of the State from Saturday.

State Additional Chief Secretary (Food and Civil Supply) PK Das on Friday said the teams comprising officers of Food and Civil Supply, Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) and Food Grains Warehousing Federation have been constituted and they would start conducting physical verification of paddy stocks from Saturday.

The State government will get paddy stocks verified in 15 districts of the State, he said, adding the formal physical verification of the paddy stocks will be completed in five days. No policemen will be deployed along with the team. But team members have been directed to seek police assistance if needed in course of inspection in rice mills. The Civil and Criminal actions will be taken against rice mill operators after being found irregularities in the procurement of paddy in the State, he added.

For 1305 rice mills, 140 teams constituted.

The additional chief secretary said that there are 1305 rice mills in the State. As per reports, 65 lakh metric tonnes have been procured by the rice millers on behalf of the Government agencies against target of 45 lakh metric tonnes. A total of 140 teams comprising 168 officials have been constituted for completing formal physical verification of paddy stocks in 1305 rice mills in the State. Days for completing physical verification of particular mill will be done through lottery system so that millers could not know the day of verification and indulge in irregularities, he said, adding ten days ago, the department had conducted internal verification of the stocks and now formal verification of the stocks will be done.

"Senior officers have been assigned for supervising the physical verification of paddy stocks of State procurement agencies lying in rice mills at district level. The verification is to be completed in five days. I will supervise the physical verification of paddy stock from secretariat. Media will be briefed about verification reports on daily basis," he said,

Paddy is purchased every year and its procurement is done by rice millers on behalf of government agencies. Necessary quota for the same is determined. Farmers brings their crop to mandis with more than permitted moisture level of 17 per cent. Some mill owners opposed physical verification of the paddy stocks while few of them have welcomed.

Physical verification of paddy stocks ordered after Oppositions raise paddy scam

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Chautala had alleged in the Vidhan Sabha that paddy was being hoarded by people with vested interests in the State and sold in the market when the prices of rice internationally went high. Recently Hooda had demanded CBI inquiry over irregularities in paddy scam in the State. He alleged that farmers in the state had been cheated by buying paddy at lower cost from them.

Hooda said a government cannot function like this. If there is a scam, the government should immediately order an inquiry by the CBI. “The moment government said a scam came to light in the milling of paddy, I demanded a probe. However, the government has not taken any action.” He said.

Giving the example of stand-off between rice millers and the state government, Hooda said while Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Jai Prakash Dalal gave clean chit to the millers, some others in the government were alleging a scam and another physical verification was ordered.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier announced that physical verification of stock of paddy purchased in the mandis during the current Kharif procurement season would be conducted by the Additional Chief Secretary.