Chennai: Alleging Rs 54 crore estimated loss within the acquire of 40,000 tonne rice to be despatched to Sri Lanka in strains with a Tamil Nadu govt determination, a PIL petition has been filed within the Madras Top Court docket to scrap the proposal and as a result direct the government involved to take steps to buy the rice throughout the Union Ministry of Shopper Affairs, Meals and Public Distribution and the Meals Company of India (FCI) in New Delhi.

When the general public hobby litigation petition, additionally praying for a path to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to habits an inquiry in to the topic, got here up for listening to on Thursday, a holiday bench of Justices G R Swaminathan and Senthil Kumar Ramamurthy posted it after summer time holiday, so that you can permit the government involved to report their counter-affidavits.

 

Consistent with petitioner A Jaishankar of Tiruvarur, Leader Minister M Okay Stalin introduced within the state Meeting on April 29 all through that 40,000 tonne of rice will likely be equipped to the Sri Lanka to lend a hand the voters who’re dealing with acute hardships because of financial crises in that nation.

Pursuant to this, the Tamil Nadu Civil Provide Company on Would possibly 5 submitted an offer to the Finance and Shopper and Co-operative departments to grant permission to buy the rice. It used to be said within the mentioned proposal that the Company had performed a gathering with quite a lot of rice millers and they have got agreed to provide rice on the charge of Rs 33 according to kg, together with all bills excluding transportation price.

 

After negotiations, the rice millers agreed to provide 40,000 tonne of any considered one of 3 kinds of par-boiled rice–Co-51, ADT-45 and Andhra Ponni on the charge of Rs 33.50 internet according to kg together with transportation, loading, unloading, dealing with, toll fees, bag with printing and all different related expenditure upto supply level at Chennai/Tuticorin Ports. The entire price used to be arrived at Rs 134 crore and the federal government on Would possibly 9 granted the monetary sanction.

Petitioner contended that the government involved had taken a hasty determination to buy any such massive amount of rice with out coming near the Union Ministry of Shopper Affairs, Meals and Public Distribution and the FCI, from the place the rice will also be bought at subsidised charge. The provisions of Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act got a go-by. The way in which wherein that they had acted raised numerous suspicion, he submitted.

 

Petitioner identified that the cost of rice according to quintal (100 kg) is Rs 2,000 within the open marketplace gross sales scheme for 2022. If the government involved had opted to buy the rice below the mentioned scheme, it could have introduced down the expenditure from Rs 134 crore to simply Rs 80 crore, leading to saving about Rs 54 crore.

Following grievance within the social media, the federal government had issued a press free up later, in which it used to be said that the central govt used to be supplying rice just for the general public distribution scheme (PDS) below subsidised charge of Rs 20 according to kg and it can’t be bought from them and despatched to every other nation. The State sought after to venture as though the federal government had taken a call to buy top of the range rice and it can’t be when put next with the only equipped via the FCI below the PDS scheme, petitioner contended. The federal government not directly said that the PDS rice equipped via the FCI used to be low high quality and therefore, it made up our minds to buy on nomination foundation. The federal government had additionally warned that if any individual raises the problem, he/she’s going to face suitable prison motion.

 

The government involved had utterly did not both enquire with the Union govt or the FCI for provide of rice and there used to be no point out within the GO or within the press free up that Centre had rejected their request. The State govt had taken a ‘hasty’ determination with out verifying this side and with out analysing the opposite modes of acquire and thereby dedicated severe error, which might quantity to Rs 54 crore loss to the exchequer, the petitioner contended.

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