RAIPUR: While paddy shortage is often cited as an annual problem in Chhattisgarh, the scale of discrepancies unearthed this season has sent shockwaves through cooperative societies, administrative circles and political corridors alike.
A crackdown led by Rajnandgaon Collector Jitendra Yadav, involving inspections and close monitoring, revealed major financial and inventory mismatches in several cooperative societies.
Taking swift note of the irregularities, the Collector ordered a probe, which subsequently confirmed a massive gap between documented stock and the actual grain available on the ground. Action has already been initiated against the cooperative bodies held accountable.
“Using technology and strictly checking facts, we tracked down systemic irregularities during paddy procurement and the weighing process, which were carried out in ways people may not even know about. In the process, we saved around Rs 400 crore this year and have so far registered four FIRs against those involved in the shortage scam,” Yadav told this newspaper.
“The procurement numbers this year are not just surprising, they are deeply suspicious. If an impartial and comprehensive investigation is conducted across all societies, a scam running into hundreds of crores could come to light,” a local source said on condition of anonymity.
Insiders familiar with the procurement mechanism pointed to systemic leakages at multiple vulnerable points that were eventually exposed and plugged. These included manipulation during the weighment process, faulty transport and storage tracking that allegedly allowed paddy stocks to “disappear”, and maintenance of digital and physical ledgers for grain that existed only on paper.
Officials said administrative vigilance and tighter bureaucratic oversight helped uncover the procurement fraud in Rajnandgaon. Aggressive internal audits intercepted what is suspected to be a multi-crore paddy procurement manipulation scheme.
The discrepancies came to light through a data-matching exercise mandated by district authorities under the Collector’s supervision. Officials said the district administration is now preparing to replicate the exercise across the region.
Policy analysts have described the crackdown as a potential blueprint for reform, while opposition parties and farmer unions are expected to turn the alleged “paddy shortage” scam into a major political issue.
