Part of jowar stock meant for PDS distribution not fit for consumption, says report

BALLARI: Officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department have temporarily suspended the distribution of jowar under the Public Distribution System (PDS) after sending samples to a FSL lab in Kalaburagi for testing. This comes after Public TV highlighted how rotten jowar, with worms in it, was being distributed under the PDS.

On January 19, Public TV had highlighted the condition of jowar stored at the Ballari warehouse and meant for public distribution. Acting on the report, the authorities had stopped further distribution of 12,000 quintals of jowar. Now, the lab reports say that the jowar was not fit for human consumption.

Food and Civil Supplies Department Deputy Director Sakina Mushtaq said, “The jowar turned bad due to the negligence of the warehousing corporation authorities. They were supposed to release older stock and store the fresh stock, but they gave out the fresh stock and kept the old stock in the warehouses”.

She said the stock which arrived in June last year was distributed while those that had come earlier remained in the warehouse. “Apart from this, the lots were not cleaned due to the negligence of the officials and hence, the stored stocks got rotten. We have issued notices to the officials concerned”, she added.