Govt to probe rice scam

NEW DELHI: The government has said that it would carry out an enquiry into the alleged scam related to export of non-Basmati rice to Africa.

Commerce & industry minister Anand Sharma said in Lok Sabha on Thursday that ���responsibility will be fixed and nobody will be spared if any infringement of rules is found���.

The Opposition, which insisted on a Joint Parliamentary Committee or CBI probe into the���scam������ estimated to be to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, staged a walkout.

While the government had imposed a ban on export of non-Basmati rice in October 2007 due to spiralling commodity prices, it had later allowed some to be exported to African countries on humanitarian grounds. The Opposition alleged that rules were flouted by agencies while carrying out such exports.

Mr Sharma said each transaction would be examined. Admitting that in some cases, PSUs have infringed certain conditions contained in the Directorate General of Foreign Trade notifications for export of non-Basmati rice, the minister said that the government is eager to get at the bottom of the issue. He, however, added that the matter should not be sensationalised.