₹22,000-Cr rice scam? AAP alleges subsidised grain meant for poor sold to Private firm

Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday alleged that subsidised rice meant for distribution among the poor in the national capital was instead being sold to a private company in Haryana, claiming the arrangement could lead to a ₹22,000 crore scam over three years.

Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj alleged that around 31,000 metric tonnes of rice per week, procured at a subsidised rate, was not reaching the intended beneficiaries and was subsequently being sold in the open market to a private company in Haryana.

He claimed the rice was obtained at around ₹23.20 per kg and allegedly sold for ₹46 per kg, generating a commission of about ₹23 per kg. According to Bharadwaj, this amounted to an alleged scam of around ₹143 crore every week.

Bharadwaj said the arrangement was planned for three years and involved transactions worth around ₹22,000 crore.

He alleged that the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government and an Assam-based corporation had made a formal request to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for subsidised rice to be distributed among poor and needy people in Delhi.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha also questioned the manner in which the subsidised rice was procured and subsequently sold to a private company.

The AAP leaders said they would make public documents related to the matter and sought clarification from the Delhi government on the procurement and distribution of the rice.

There was no immediate response from the BJP or FCI to the allegations.