Digvijay Singh seeks probe by Centre into wheat purchase in MP

BHOPAL: Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh has urged the Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies K V Thomas to set up a Central team to look into various allegations about wheat procurement by Madhya Pradesh government.

Singh said he had received complaints that wheat meant for Public Distribution System (PDS) -- provided by the Government of India -- was sold back to the state at the minimum support price by shopkeepers. Singh requested Thomas to get samples of wheat from Madhya Pradesh and find out if it had come from the PDS.

The Congress leader, in a two-page letter to Thomas yesterday, also said that he wanted to know who was responsible for the delay in the supply of gunny bags for wheat storage to Madhya Pradesh.

He also sought probe of the manner in which businessmen purchased wheat from the farmers, and alleged that state government had purchased only 60 per cent of the wheat produced.