Irregularities galore, surprise checks at DPCs across delta region

While the harvest of Samba and Thaladi is on full swing in the Cauvery delta region, the farmers have been approaching the DPCs with their paddy and they have claimed that there were a series of complaints against the officials as they go on asking a bribe between Rs 30 and Rs 40  per bag.

The farmers also claimed that the officials in the DPCs go on giving priority to the merchants rather than the farmers and such complaints were brought the knowledge of Food Minister R Kamaraj, who instructed ADGP (Civil Supplies Corporation CID) Prateep V Philip to conduct a raid at the DPCs.

Accordingly, on Wednesday, Kamaraj, along with a team of officials, including Prateep Philip, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Principal Secretary Dayanand Kataria, Managing Director TNCSC M Sudha Devi conducted a surprise inspection. The team also interacted with the farmers and inquired about the irregularities. They also inspected the measurement of the procurement.

“In order to prevent irregularities in the DPCs, as many as 12 teams have been established and a search is on, at the DPCs in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukkottai where a few irregularities have been reported,” said the Food Minister.

Meanwhile, the minister said 389 DPCs were opened in Thanjavur, 458 at Tiruvarur, 498 in Nagapattinam and 310 in other districts. “So far 5.40 MT paddy has been procured through the DPCs in which at least one lakh farmers have been benefitted and an amount of Rs 1,021 crore has been deposited in their respective accounts,” the minister said.