MEBO, 13 Jul: In pursuance of the letter issued by the State Food Commission (SFC), the State Level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (SLV&MC) under the department of the food and civil supplies conducted an enquiry on Wednesday, regarding the viral video on social media alleging distribution of sub-standard rice to the beneficiaries at FPS Seram village of Mebo circle in East Siang district.
The committee, during its investigation, found that sub-standard/bad quality rice is being supplied by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to Arunachal Pradesh.
In the process of enquiry, FPS dealer Yung Tapang admitted that ‘the rice issued to them was bad and not fit for human consumption.’
The SLV&MC headed by chairman Anok Wangsa, member Nima Sange and DFCSO Vijay Pertin also visited the FCI godown at Pasighat, met godown in-charge Mingkeng Tamut and enquired about the quality of rice ‘who at that time was supervising the unloading of rice trucks.’ “Surprisingly more than thirty bags of sub-standard/bad quality rice have been unloaded in front of our eyes at FCI godown,” SLV&MC member Nima Sange said in a press statement.
SLV&MC instructed Pasighat FCI depot to stop the issue of sub-standard rice including repackaged rice bags “because the consumers are complaining that the repackaged rice are found to be less in quantity and sub-standard.”
Considering the seriousness of the substandard quality of rice being supplied by the FCI, SLVMC also urged upon the state government to take up the issue with the union ministry of consumer affairs & food and public distribution to ‘stop supplying outdated /bad quality of rice to the state with immediate effect.”
SLV&MC further suggested FCI authority to send a quality control team to FCI godown at Pasighat to verify the details of sub-standard rice available in the godown urgently, the statement added.
