Shillong, Sep 17: The Enforcement Directorate ( ED) is probing the rice ‘scam’ though the inquiry committee headed by retired justice Mool Chand Garg gave clean chit to the government on the matter.
The inquiry report into ‘rice allocation and supplementary nutrition programme (SNP)’ was tabled in the Assembly on September 15 by Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh.
An official source said that an officer of the Enforcement Directorate, Sub Zonal office met an official of the social welfare department as part of the inquiry into the allocation of rice.
The commission had probed rice allotted to Continental Milkose (India) Ltd. for the SNP found in a private godown in Boko, Assam and seized by the Assam Police.
The rice bags were found at Maruti quality products private limited, Chatabari industrial area, under Boko police station.
Assam police probe on
The probe of the Assam police into the matter is also continuing.
The Garg commission could not get the views of the Assam police.
The commission admitted that it had not gone into the police investigation of the matter and it was not expressing any opinion on the pending investigation being carried out by the Assam police.
Money wasted
The state government has spent over Rs 33 lakh for the inquiry commitee into the rice allotment.
Rs 33,13,692 was paid to the panel headed by retired judge Garg for conducting the inquiry.
As part of the inquiry, four sessions were held in Shillong and eight sessions in Delhi.
The commission assessed 17 different Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) projects of 11 districs.
The fees for eight sessions held in Delhi were Rs 20 lakh whereas the fees for the four sessions held in Shillong were Rs 10 lakh.
Rs 3,13,691 was incurred as expenditure on the visit of two teams consisting of four members to 17 ICDS projects.
