‘Tender system designed to feed politicians, coterie’

F&CS deptt., syndicates balmed for food not reaching public

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 26: THE Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) has charged the Food & Civil Supplies department and its alleged syndicates for being responsible for public distribution items not reaching the public.
The organization has noted that the tender system of the controversial department was designed to ensure that the benefits revolved only around politicians, the department, and non-local businessmen.
“To set the record straight, the ACAUT objected to the NIT (Notice Inviting Tender) process in the F&CS for the simple reason that the tendering norms favoured the same syndicates who have been controlling the department for the last 15-20 years,” the organization stated.
While appreciating the F&CS department for initiating tendering after a gap of almost two decades, the “open fact” remains that thousands of crore worth of Public Distribution Items such as rice, wheat, levy sugar, SK oil, etc., have not reached the intended beneficiaries in the districts because of the presence of syndicates.
Therefore, the organization stated, even if the tendering system was an effort to streamline the department, the process was not only flawed, but is designed to “propagate the stranglehold of the syndicates further!”
“The table (see table) will make clear to the public how the syndicate comprising of carriage contractors -local Nagas as decorative fronts, politicians, the department, and non-local businessmen have pocketed thousands of crores of rupees,” the organization stated.
The ACAUT stated that the table, shown here, was from RTI information furnished by the F & CS department.
Another matter that the organization pointed out was the Naga people do not consume wheat. “So why should the department distribute wheat when there are no consumers or beneficiaries unless of course the whole consignment is diverted to the open market by the carriage contractors and the syndicate players,” the press release stated.
“The whole PDS is such a mess that even the records supplied through RTI portrays that in the years between 2003-07, the FnCS department distributed more wheat than was supplied by the Central government!”
The ACAUT also calculated the 12-year quota of wheat that was supplied, i.e., 51.07 crore kg x Rs. 25 per kg at the present market rate; the monetary value comes to Rs. 1276, 98, 25, 000 (one thousand two hundred seventy six crores ninety eight lakh and twenty five thousand rupees), the statement explained.
“In other words, it’s a Rs. 1,276 crore scam. The general public can make their own conclusion as per the facts laid out,” the organization added.