The Story of rotten rice in State godowns
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 07 2013: In response to the news report published under the headline, 'Over 1000 MT of rice wasted, dumped as garbage' on May 6 edition of this daily, Directorate of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of Manipur has asserted that the damaged rice was never procured from FCI for distribution to the poor and needy, but it was the total quantity accumulated as unusable sweeping stock and balance in the State godown for the last 17 years.

In a press note (of which we are reproducing here verbatim for the public to decide for themselves) signed by its Director M Yaiskul Meitei, the Directorate said "There is a State godown having capacity of 7000 metric tonnes for storage rice and levy sugar, etc, within the complex of the Directorate of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution at Sangaiprou.

Rice and sugar lifted from FCI godowns from Jiribam and Dimapur is unloaded and stored at the State Godown.

The Story of rotten rice in State godowns

In the process of unloading the rice and sugar from FCI and loading them from the State godown for transportation towards the districts PDCs/PDSCs, rice and sugar are scattered over the ground inside the godown.

Through labourers, these scattered rice/sugar are picked up and manually processed for repacking for consumption.

However, small component of the rice and sugar remain unusable.

These are accumulated inside the godown to be disposed yearly under a formal process.

Since the year 1995-1996 upto 2011-2012, the accumulated sweeping/damaged rice and sugar totally comes to 1114 MT (979 metric tonnes for rice and 135 MT for sugar).

Had it been disposed timely, the quantity of the damaged foodgrains and sugar would not have come to this figure.

The only way to dispose the damaged rice and sugar after following a process to waive off the cost of the damaged quantity to be approved by the Government is to dump inside the ground or setting fire for all safety.

In order to use the space occupied by the accumulated quantity of damaged rice and sugar inside the State godown as well as to avoid further infection to the health of the labourers and staff working in the State godown, State Government constituted a Committee comprising Director (CAF &PD), Director (Fishery) and Director (Veterinary) which physically examined the damaged rice and sugar if it could be still consumable by human being/animals.

However, the Committee found that the damaged rice and sugar is found in the shape of dust powder and does not deserve human or animal consumption.

Pending the process, some portion were lifted fns stored temporarily at Koirengei State godown and the remaining portion left inside the State godown at Sangaiprou.

Because of public complaint on health risk exposed by foul smell, the damaged rice and sugar stored at Koirengei godown was buried recently in a hole excavated inside the godown complex.

Likewise, the remaining portion of dust powder) damaged rice and sugar) inside the State godown at Sangaiprou has also been buried in a hole excavated inside the godown complex pending the formal process.

Now the State godown has no sweeping rice and sugar.

The vacated space is being used for storing the fresh rice and sugar lifted from FCI godown.

Lastly, it is clarified that the above facts that the damaged rice and sugar amounting to 1114 MT or 11140 quintals of rice and sugar was never straightly procured from FCI for distribution to the poor and needy people.

It was the total quantity accumulated as unusable sweeping stock and balance in the State godown for the last 17 repeat 17 years" .

Let people decide:: The Story of rotten rice in State godowns
o What is the reason behind accumulating such a huge amount of 'damaged' rice and sugar, which could have fed over 1000 people for a year, for the last 17 years?
o Was there any problem in distributing the stale rice to the needy people in time before the rice actually become 'unusable'?
o Was the Government unaware of the fact that the rice in the godown was turning stale?
o If at all the disposed rice were indeed unfit for consumption, then what was the actual cost of the rice and sugar that have been dumped? Is it not a loss to the State Government?
o Since there are evidences of rice and sugar not being distributed to the public in time, is there any proof to show that the disposed 'damaged' rice and sugar belong to which period?
o Would it not been a better approach to dispose of 979 MT of rice and 135 MT of sugar, even if they were accumulated 'unusable sweeping stock and balance' after a State Cabinet decision?
o Why was there no prior notification on the disposal of the rice and sugar? .