Prominent West Bengal Minister arrested amidst PDS ration scandal unveiled by ED Investigation

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has arrested Jyoti Priya Mallick, presently Minister-in-Charge of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources of the Government of West Bengal, on October 27, 2023, in a case related to fake paddy procurement and siphoning of PDS rations to the open market. He was earlier Minister-in-Charge of the Food and Supply Department, Govt. of West Bengal, from 2011 to 2021. The Ld. CMM court has granted the 14-day custody of Jyoti Priya Mallick to ED till November 12, 2023.

ED initiated an investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by West Bengal Police, wherein it was found that various private individuals were involved in the storage and sale of subsidized/public distribution system (PDS) wheat flour and atta without a valid license. In other FIRs of Kolkata Police, it was found that Rice Millers had opened bank accounts in the name of fake farmers and thus pocketed the MSP (minimum support price) intended for the benefit of genuine farmers.

The ED investigation revealed that approximately 30% of the PDS ration intended for Priority Households (PHH), RSKY, and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries was diverted to the open market, and the proceeds of crime generated from the same were shared between the millers and the PDS distributors. In another modus operandi, the government agencies were required to procure paddy at MSP from farmers.

However, the millers opened fake farmer bank accounts in connivance with other persons, including some cooperative societies, and pocketed the MSP, which was intended for paddy farmers. One of the prime suspects has admitted that approx. Rs 200 per quintal was earned by various rice millers, which was to be procured by the government agencies at MSP directly from the farmers, and this practice has been followed by various rice millers across the state over the years. Hence, a huge quantity of proceeds from crime is being generated and distributed in this way.

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Earlier, ED also arrested Bakibur Rahaman, a flour and rice miller, on October 14, 2023, who was remanded to judicial custody by the Ld. CMM Court on October 28, 2023, in the same case. Multiple searches were also conducted in this regard on 11.10.2023, 26.10.203, and 04.11.2023, which resulted in the seizure of incriminating material, the seizure of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) amounting to Rs. 1.42 crore in cash, and the freezing of PoC worth Rs. 16.87 crore in bank accounts of shell entities.
Further investigation is in progress.