On October 27, 2023, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested Jyoti Priya Mallick, the current Minister-In-Charge of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources of the Government of West Bengal, in a case involving false paddy procurement and siphoning of PDS ration to open market. From 2011 to 2021, he was Minister-in-Charge of the West Bengal Government’s Food and Supply Department. The Ld. CMM court has awarded the ED 14 days of custody of Jyoti Priya Mallick until November 12, 2023.
The ED launched an inquiry based on several FIRs filed by West Bengal Police, which revealed that several private people were involved in storing and distributing subsidized/Public Distribution System (PDS) wheat flour/atta without a legal license. In other FIRs filed by the Kolkata Police, it was discovered that Rice Millers had registered bank accounts in the names of fraudulent farmers and therefore pocketed the MSP (Minimum Support Price) meant for actual farmers.
According to an ED investigation, around 30% of the PDS ration intended for Priority Households (PHH), RSKY, and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) recipients was diverted to the open market, with the proceeds of crime split between millers and PDS distributors.
In another scheme, government organizations were compelled to buy rice from farmers at MSP. However, the millers, in collusion with other individuals, including some cooperative organizations, created bogus farmers’ bank accounts and pocketed the MSP, which was intended for paddy farmers. One of the key suspects stated that numerous rice millers received around Rs 200 per quintal, which was to be acquired by the government agency at MSP straight from the farmers, and that this practice has been practised by various rice millers across the state for many years. As a result, vast sums of criminal profits are created and distributed in this manner.
Previously, on 14.10.2023, the ED apprehended Bakibur Rahaman, a flour and rice miller, who was remanded to judicial prison by the Ld. CMM Court on 28.10.2023 in the same case. Multiple searches were also carried out in this respect on 11.10.2023, 26.10.203, and 04.11.2023, resulting in the seizure of incriminating evidence, the seizure of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) totalling Rs. 1.42 Crore in cash, and the freezing of PoC equal to Rs. 16.87 Crore in shell entity bank accounts. More research is being conducted.
