BJP Forms Fact-Finding Team on Pulses Scam

Bhubaneswar: The Opposition BJP has constituted a 12-member fact-finding team headed by the party’s national secretary Kirit Somaiah who would make an assessment of allegations of supplying inferior quality pulses to beneficiaries of the mid-day meal programme.

“A fact-finding team headed by Kirit Somaiah will study the whole matter, prepare a report, and submit it,” BJP State President Juel Oram said.

The team would visit the areas where complaints have been received of supplying poor quality dal to the schools and thereafter would submit its report to the Centre.

Meanwhile, lawyer Dilip Mohapatra filed public interest litigation (PIL) in the Orissa High Court on Thursday seeking a CBI probe into the supply of poor-quality dal under social welfare programs.

“The vigilance has taken more than 10-12 days and the low-quality pulses have not been replaced with the better ones. It can affect the health of the students. We have lost our faith in the vigilance. Hence, we demand a CBI probe into the matter,” lawyer Dilip Mohapatra said.

A day after state chief secretary Bijay Patnaik convened a meeting of district collectors on Wednesday, Women and Child Development minister Pramila Mallick today held a meeting with the WCD secretary and director for about two hours here to take stock of the situation.

“Had the pulses been examined properly, there would not have been any complaints now,” Women and Child Welfare Minister Pramila Mallick said.

On the other hand, state Agriculture Minister and former WCD minister Dr Damodar Rout has suggested implementation of the dal supply system prevalent during 1990-95.

“Same quality at the same price was being provided by the OCCF to the schools and there were no complaints then,” Agriculture Minister Dr. Damodar Rout said.