Vigilance conducts statewide inspections of ration shops, NFSA godowns in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala VACB on Tuesday conducted a statewide surprise inspection at selected NFSA godowns and ration shops across the state as part of a special drive to detect alleged corruption and irregularities in the PDS.

Named "Operation Bhakshya Suraksha", the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) carried out the drive at 14 National Food Security Act (NFSA) godowns and 54 ration shops under the state Civil Supplies Corporation on the direction of Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham.

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The action was based on reports of large-scale irregularities in the distribution of food grains, according to a VACB statement.

The inspections were conducted under "Project Zero", a vigilance initiative aimed at ensuring corruption-free public service delivery and strengthening proactive anti-corruption measures across government departments.

According to the Vigilance, information had been received regarding alleged diversion of food grains meant for public distribution to the black market, manipulation of stock records, and illegal sale of commodities with the alleged connivance of ration dealers, godown officials, employees and contractors.

The agency also received complaints about fraudulent billing, misuse of OTP-based authentication systems and misappropriation of food grains intended for beneficiaries.

Further, reports suggested significant discrepancies between actual stock and records maintained at NFSA godowns, besides allegations that food grains were being diverted from warehouses before reaching ration outlets.

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The inspections were aimed at verifying these allegations and identifying corruption and irregularities in the Public Distribution System (PDS), the statement added.