RAIPUR: Against the backdrop of a report attributing paddy losses in Chhattisgarh to rats, BJP Raipur Lok Sabha member Brijmohan Agrawal said that the state government may now have to arrange for cats to deal with the rodents.
Chhattisgarh witnessed a large quantity of paddy going missing across the state, and the losses were being associated with rats, termites, birds and drying-up.
The procured paddy worth `7 crore reportedly went missing in Kawardha, and the alleged loss was to the tune of `18 crore in Mahasamund district. In Kawardha district, an official cited rats, insects, and weather exposure as reasons for the produce shortage.
After the media reports provoked adverse reactions, the Kawardha district collector, Gopal Verma, had to issue a clarification, and he didn’t hold rats responsible for the paddy losses.
“It’s largely the natural drying of paddy stored in the open and not the rats responsible for quantitative (weight) loss of paddy. We have constituted a committee to probe. Secretary MarkFed has suspended the procurement in-charge. A show cause notice has been issued to District Marketing Officer Abhishek Mishra, and action will be taken against those found guilty”, the collector said.
In Mahasamund district, the procured paddy data shows that 81,620 quintals were missing over just ten months. The opposition Congress accused the state government of corruption. Amid the political backlash on the rats allegedly held accountable for the paddy losses, the ruling BJP MP Agrawal felt arranging cats as a solution for the government to deal with the rats. His statement has ignited a debate.
Congress criticised the ruling regime and took a dig at the BJP MP’s remark. “There are plans for another scam in the scheme of keeping cats to catch rats,” said Dhananjay Thakur, Congress spokesperson.
Chhattisgarh had procured over 149LMT on the MSP during the last Kharif Marketing Year 2024-25.