12,000 bogus ration cards go missing in Paithan

Aurangabad, Oct 25:

Nearly 15,000 bogus ration cards were distributed in Paithan tehsil, but 12,000 of them are still missing. Officials and agents involved in the scam were investigated and charged with criminal offence, but the ration cards have not yet been found. The question remains whether those ration cards are used in Paithan but in other places no concrete information has come forward yet.

Some ration cards were also distributed from Maha-e Seva Centers. The investigation revealed that these ration cards were used to purchase subsidized food grain. This indicates that the grains were being sold in the black market. It is suspected that these ration cards are being used to take advantage of some government schemes. The deputy tehsildar had lodged a complaint alleging embezzlement of Rs 79,061 of 15,000 ration cards distributed from Paithan tehsil office between January 2015 to August 2015.

The police had registered a case against three suspects. The report of the three-member inquiry committee had revealed that out of 15,000, about 12,000 ration cards were not registered in the tehsil office. A complaint was lodged as no record of ration cards could be found. District supply officer Mahadev Kirwale said that further investigation by the police will reveal whether the missing ration cards are still used to purchase grains in Paithan and other tehsils.