Mumbai to recall poor quality wheat in PDS
The decision to recall the wheat stock was taken after all laboratories confirmed that the foodstock is unfit for human consumption.
By TNN |
MUMBAI: Around 1,775 tonnes of wheat will now be dumped as waste. Inferior even to feed cattle, the Maharashtra government now has decided to recall all stocks of this substandard quality wheat from the public distribution system (PDS). The state government’s decision may spark off a fresh round of politicking over the issue as it confirms the allegation made by the BJP that unhygienic red wheat has been imported from Australia.
The decision to recall the wheat stock was taken on Wednesday after all laboratories confirmed that the foodstock is unfit for human consumption. “It’s so bad. It should be dumped. It can’t be used as fodder,” a government official said. However, fear of political and people’s backlash seems to have stopped the government from announcing the decision. Instead, it has issued a four-liner statement informing its plan to withdraw wheat stocks from the PDS.
It comes a few days after the BJP approached the state human rights commission seeking its intervention in stopping distribution of inferior quality wheat. Filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and two others, the petition had made the Maharashtra government, the Chief Secretary, Secretaries of Civil Supplies Ministry and Ministry of Women and Child Welfare and others as respondents to the petition. It also had copies of reports from two different laboratories certifying that the wheat stocks are substandard.
Later, the BJP demanded that the government must recall inferior quality imported wheat from the public distribution system. The party’s state unit president Nitin Gadkari and Mr Somaiya, former MP, who obtained reports of the government laboratory under the Right to Information Act, said 229 of the 265 samples tested in April were not fit for human consumption. The wheat also had fungal growth. Mr Gadkari demanded criminal action against the authorities for distributing inferior quality wheat to the poor. “This type of wheat is not grown in India. It’s all imported,” Mr Somaiya said. He had earlier filed a complaint with the Chief Vigilance Commission demanding a thorough investigation into the deal.
Sensing the popular mood and an opportunity to humble its arch rival Sharad Pawar, the Union Agriculture Minister, the Congress too joined the ‘recall wheat’ bandwagon. Earlier, the Left and local nascent outfit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena too demanded the total recall of imported wheat.
The decision to recall the wheat stock was taken on Wednesday after all laboratories confirmed that the foodstock is unfit for human consumption. “It’s so bad. It should be dumped. It can’t be used as fodder,” a government official said. However, fear of political and people’s backlash seems to have stopped the government from announcing the decision. Instead, it has issued a four-liner statement informing its plan to withdraw wheat stocks from the PDS.
It comes a few days after the BJP approached the state human rights commission seeking its intervention in stopping distribution of inferior quality wheat. Filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and two others, the petition had made the Maharashtra government, the Chief Secretary, Secretaries of Civil Supplies Ministry and Ministry of Women and Child Welfare and others as respondents to the petition. It also had copies of reports from two different laboratories certifying that the wheat stocks are substandard.
Later, the BJP demanded that the government must recall inferior quality imported wheat from the public distribution system. The party’s state unit president Nitin Gadkari and Mr Somaiya, former MP, who obtained reports of the government laboratory under the Right to Information Act, said 229 of the 265 samples tested in April were not fit for human consumption. The wheat also had fungal growth. Mr Gadkari demanded criminal action against the authorities for distributing inferior quality wheat to the poor. “This type of wheat is not grown in India. It’s all imported,” Mr Somaiya said. He had earlier filed a complaint with the Chief Vigilance Commission demanding a thorough investigation into the deal.
Sensing the popular mood and an opportunity to humble its arch rival Sharad Pawar, the Union Agriculture Minister, the Congress too joined the ‘recall wheat’ bandwagon. Earlier, the Left and local nascent outfit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena too demanded the total recall of imported wheat.
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