Phoolka hints at Rs127-crore scam

Chandigarh : In what could be the root of the Rs31,000-crore foodgrain scam detected during the previous SAD-BJP government, AAP legislator HS Phoolka today claimed to have blown the lid off a PDS wheat scam running into Rs127 crore. He claimed a trained team of workers allegedly hired by food inspectors were pilfering 3-kg wheat from every bag. To corroborate his claim, Phoolka said a raid conducted by the Ludhiana DC on a tip-off by AAP worker Amrit Pal had led to the arrest of 11 persons on the charge of stealing wheat from a warehouse in Mullanpur. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been getting complaints of beneficiaries getting less quantity of wheat or moist grains, the Dakha MLA said. “There are 1.42 lakh beneficiaries under the Atta-Dal scheme. If 6-kg wheat is stolen from the quota of each beneficiary, the total pilferage comes out to be 8.52 crore kg and this is worth Rs127 crore,” he said.