BENGALURU: Lokayukta constituted a high-level committee to examine illegalities in the supply chain and the quality of rice supplied to fair price shops under the Anna Bhagya scheme.
The committee will suggest measures to address maladministration leading to serious loss to the exchequer and deprivation of the public of their legitimate entitlement to the essential commodities under Public Distribution System (PDS).
The committee comprises Principal Secretary, Harsha Gupta, Prajaseva Department, who is also heading DPAR (Administrative Reforms), as Chairman of the Committee, Manish Khabikar, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, and Secretary Kanagavalli, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, as its members, an official statement said.
The committee will take note of the prima facie illegalities and irregularities found during the course of an investigation and other relevant aspects for streamlining the functioning of the system and submit the report on or before August 20.
Following the initiation of the suomoto proceedings against the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department and other officials of the said Department, including against depot managers of different Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (KFCSC) wholesale godowns and Taluk Agricultural Produce Cooperative Marketing Society Godowns, the Lokayukta Justice B S Patil, Upa Lokayuktas Justice K N Phaneendra and Justice B Veerappa constituted 27 teams comprising Lokayukta police and judicial officers made extensive surprise inspections on June 12. The visit and further investigation unearthed several irregularities.