Listed food transport trucks found to be bikes: MP Auditor flags massive irregularities in ration scheme

The Madhya Pradesh Accountant General has found large-scale irregularities in nutrition programmes meant for women and children in terms of beneficiary identification, production, distribution, and quality control, reported NDTV.

Among the findings of the 36-page audit report was an exaggeration of the number of beneficiaries, vehicles listed as trucks turned out to be two-wheelers - scooters and motorcycles, and quality checks of food avoided.

The AG has got in touch with the Chief Secretary and sought an investigation by an 'independent agency' into the alleged scam, reported Times of India.

The irregularities have been detected in the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme for 2021 implemented by the Women and Child Development (WCD) department which is headed by BJP chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The scheme is part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

The audit report has studied around 24 percent of beneficiaries of THR, a programme aimed at providing nourishment to 49.58 lakh registered children and women. These included 34.69 lakh children aged between 6 months to 3 years, 14.25 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers and 0.64 lakhs Out Of School Adolescent Girls or OOSAGs aged between 11-14 years, basing the auditor's findings on nearly 12 lakh individuals.

On Sunday, following news report on the audit, the state government responded by blaming 'clerical errors' in part and assured corrective measures, as per TOI.

The report states that in 2018-19, the school education department had estimated the number of out-of-school girls at 9,000, but the WCD Department, without conducting any baseline survey, estimated their number at 36.08 lakh.

The audit found a clear indication of "data manipulation" during 2018-21, leading to the "fake distribution of THR worth INR 110.83 crore."

The AG also suspects a fake supply of 821.8 MT THR, worth INR 4.95 crore. Around 479.4 MT of THR worth INR 2.96 crore was transported on 'non-existent' trucks.

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