Order to remove flour from ration in West Bengal: Food Minister said – Government’s action plan will be clear in a week

Kolkata. West Bengal’s newly appointed Food and Supplies Minister Ashok Kirtaniya on Tuesday ordered the removal of whole wheat flour from the list of ration items in the state. He claimed that most scams and corruption are taking place in the supply of flour in the Public Distribution System (PDS). Speaking to a news agency, Minister Kirtania said that the public should give one week’s time to the new government to work, after which the government’s action plan will become clear.

He said, “The party (BJP) has given us a huge responsibility. The party believes that the biggest scams in Bengal have happened in the food and education departments.” Kirtania said that he has been entrusted with the responsibility of the food department and he will try his best to maintain the trust of the party. He said, “Enough is enough. No further scams will be allowed.”

He warned that people involved in any kind of corruption or scam will not be spared. “Whether it is an officer or a mill owner, if anyone is found involved in any wrongdoing, he will not be forgiven,” the minister said. The Food Minister said that at present the biggest scam of the Food Department is happening regarding flour. He said that he has given instructions to the concerned officials to remove wheat flour from the ration list.

However, officials told him that doing so could lead to losses for the government, as large quantities of flour were already in stock. On this, the minister clarified that “Only the flour that has already been prepared by grinding wheat will be distributed. After that, flour will not be included in the ration of West Bengal.”

Here, another newly appointed minister of the state, Dilip Ghosh, alleged on Tuesday that most of the Trinamool Congress leaders are involved in corruption. The statement comes a day after the arrest of former minister Sujit Bose by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the municipal recruitment corruption case. It is noteworthy that last week BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal. Along with him, five other MLAs also took oath as ministers.