MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(PROF. K.V. THOMAS)
(a) & (b): No, Madam. Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures foodgrains of Fair Average
Quality (FAQ) which meets the laid down Uniform Specifications. However, at the time of
conducting checks by Senior Officers, some of the accepted rice stocks have been detected as
Beyond Rejection Limits (BRL) of Uniform Specifications. Such rice stocks have been got replaced
from the concerned rice millers,
(c) & (d): Yes, Madam.
Raids were conducted by CBI and other agencies against officials of FCI in various States. The
details thereof along with action taken against officials by FCI and current status of cases are
given at Annexure-I.
Emphasis is being laid on preventive vigilance as compared to punitive so that the irregularities
are discouraged at initial level. A few initiatives taken are as under:-
1. Ensuring Fairness and Transparency in food grain procurement functions by introduction of
pictorial depiction of refractions and bringing them in Public Domain.
2. Preventive measures against misappropriation / pilferage of food grain stocks taken by
effective implementation of periodic Physical Verification (PV) of stock.
3. Ensuring Fairness and Transparency in Sales of Food Grain Stock etc.
4. Ensuring Scientific Management of foodgrain stocks at Depots and Book Keeping and penalizing
the defaulters.
5. Emphasising on Order and Fairness in Labour Related Matters and procurement services.
6. Regular and surprise checks of field activities are undertaken by staff from Regional, Zonal,
and Headquarters offices.
7. Officials in Doubtful Integrity List are not posted in sensitive seats.
8. Officials deployed in sensitive seats are rotated after a prescribed period of tenure.
9. The list of sensitive districts has been comprehensively reviewed and revised recently.
10. e-procurement has been successfully implemented in one Region and is now being extended
across FCI in a phased manner.
11. E-payment has been introduced on a comprehensive scale.
PUNITIVE VIGILANCE MEASURES
As far as punitive vigilance is concerned, following measures are being taken to check
corruption/irregularities/fraud in FCI:
1. Emphasis on investigation of complaints in time bound manner.
2. Issue of charge sheets in prima facie established cases after preliminary inquiry.
3. Finalization of departmental proceedings (major/minor) within the prescribed time limits as
far as possible and imposition of appropriate penalties.
4. Review of pending complaints and disciplinary proceedings at the level of lower disciplinary
authorities.
5. Exemplary punishment in cases involving conspiracy or misconduct by individual officers as a
strategy to sabotage the system, in appropriate cases.
6. Reference to CBI/local police of cases where besides departmental action, criminal misconduct
/nexus with outside parties is suspected.
