New Delhi: Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj Sunday alleged corruption in the BJP-led Delhi government’s procurement and sale of subsidised rice, claiming that the proposed arrangement could result in a Rs 22,000 crore scam over three years.
Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj said the Rekha Gupta government and an Assam-based corporation had made a formal request to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for subsidised rice to be distributed among the poor and the needy in the national capital.
He claimed that around 31,000 metric tonnes of rice per week were sought under the arrangement, but they did not reach the intended beneficiaries and were subsequently sold to a private company in Haryana.
The rice, obtained at around Rs 23.20 per kg, was allegedly being sold in the open market for Rs 46 per kg, resulting in a commission of Rs 23 per kg, amounting to around Rs 143 crore scam every week.
He further claimed that the arrangement was planned for three years, involving transactions worth around Rs 22,000 crore.
AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha also raised questions over the manner in which the subsidised rice was procured and subsequently sold.
The AAP leaders said documents related to the matter would be made public and sought clarification from the government on the procurement and distribution of the rice.
However, there was no immediate response from the BJP or FCI.
