Citizens’ group, Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR), has rubbished the arguments put forward by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma over the recent controversy of government-owned rice that was being repackaged in an Assam warehouse.
Recently, Assam police claimed that one lakh sacks of rice belonging to Meghalaya under the Fortified Nutrition Programme FNP scheme were found stocked in a warehouse in the premises of Maruti Quality Products Pvt Ltd, located to the west of Guwahati. Assam police said that the rice was being repackaged into East Sunrise bags, a brand that belongs to Continental Milkose.
Sangma yesterday quibbled about the number of bags, saying that one lakh was an exaggeration as only 33,000 were seized. He also reiterated that the rice was not meant for rations nor Covid relief, but for the fortified foods programme, for which first quarter stocks have already been received by the state. Nevertheless, the government has asked the company to provide a clarification on the matter.
Today TUR shot back, saying that Supreme Court orders, the latest being in 2019, emphasised the need to decentralise the scheme and work with women’s groups, self-help groups and local communities to ensure culturally appropriate and locally-sourced foods for the Integrated Child Development Services programme.
TUR alleged that the Chief Minister is wilfully misleading the public by misreading the 2014 notification of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and insisting that only entities that can ensure quality food that are micronutrient fortified and energy dense can be engaged.
“This is an outright lie as the NFSA (National Food Security Act) 2013 does not insist on fortified food but on nutritious food and the Supreme Court pointed out that the idea of fortification is often used to subvert the scheme and provide a backdoor entry to manufacturers and contractors who eye the central government’s Rs 5,000 crore yearly budget for this programme,” the group added.
TUR also stated that Continental Milkose was not fit to be an approved supplier to Meghalaya of food under these schemes.
It added that random samples from across Meghalaya had revealed that Vitamin A was not detectable and the calorie value was 40 percent less than what was claimed and there were other gross deficiencies in the company’s products.
“Children also do not eat this product and much of it has to be fed to pigs,” TUR alleged, adding that children would be better served a variety of local foods, like eggs, bengal gram made with the potassium rich neiiong, rymbaija, maize, phan karo, phan dieng, shriew, banana, oranges, etc.
“It is shameful that the Chief Minister, rather than trying to listen to the grievances of the people and understanding the ground reality of this systemic corruption in the programme, is rather bending over backwards to defend Continental Milkose,” TUR said.
