Punjab Rice Millers Association (PRMA) held a press conference to share details of harassment being meted out to them by some FCI officials. Tarsem Saini, President, PRMA, Bharat Bhushan Binta, President, Punjab Rice Industry Association and other members of PRMA from across Punjab participated in the press conference. Saini said, “There is widespread corruption in FCI and we demand a CBI inquiry, we also want departmental action against DGM (Quality).”
Bharat Bhushan Binta said, “We would have to adopt the route of agitation if our genuine demands are not met. We will protest against the corrupt practices being adopted by some officers of FCI.”
Saini said that March 13, 2024 was fixed by the General Manager, Food Corporation of India(FCI), Punjab Region, Chandigarh, to listen the grievances of the rice millers, in which sheller owners of different Centres of Kotkapura, Faridkot, Patiala and Rupnagar participated to register their difficulties. In Faridkot, one rice miller faces harassment for the past few days at the hands of Quality staff of FCI as Manager (Quality Control) Kotkapura on approval of the rice through AGA (Automatic Grain Analysers) had accepted the consignment of rice. But later upon the issuance of SOP on 15-02-2024 in which it was desired that out of 25% of total stock, 5% will be checked manually and remaining 20% through AGA; out of consignment No. (P-360), the damage percentage was 2.2% through AGA and on manual checking it was described as 3.60%. Similarly in another consignment No. (P-359) damage percentage was 2.19% and on manual inspection it was reported as 4.45%. When the sheller owners got the samples sealed, then AGM (QC) Faridkot checked the same manually and in other words endorsed the actions of Manager (QC) stating that results would be conducted manually.
The Rice Millers’ also called for 100 percent use of AGA’s without resorting to any manual analysis of rice. The millers’ have demanded withdrawal of SOP of 15-02-2024 that talks about manual analysis of samples.
Saini added that on 13th March 2024, the day fixed by the GM FCI Pb. Region to hear the grievances of sheller owners, the DGM (Quality) threatened me and other millers present to be ready to face the consequences because Association desired the inspection of third sample of Kotkpura from CGAL Laboratory, but DGM (Quality) with the motive to waste time wrote a letter on 12/03/2024 itself to Director Food and Supplies, Pb. to appoint a person so that sample could be sent to CGAL under intimation to the sheller owners that till the response from DFS. Pb; they would not be able to forward the sample to New Delhi, which meant that the said consignment of rice was deemed to be rejected, but when we apprised in the presence of GM FCI Pb. Region the DGM (Quality) on 12-03-2024 at 3 p.m wrote another letter to Director Food & Supplies Pb. that due to delay on their part to appoint a person, the appeal of the miller stands rejected, whereas no such intervention of DFS. Pb was required to appoint a person for the analysis of the third sample for CGAL. The DGM (Quality) misled the GM FCI Pb. Region in this matter as a result of which sheller owners faced a lot of harassment.
The association further asserted that after detailed discussions by the sheller owners, the GM FCI Pb. Region and their staff present agreed that complaint was genuine and delay was not on the part of the miller as a result GM FCI Pb. Region decided to forward the sample to CGAL, New Delhi.
