Dal scam: criminal action against suppliers, officers ordered

Bhubaneswar, Feb 13 (PTI) With dal scam set to rockthe assembly session starting tomorrow, Orissa governmenttoday ordered initiation of criminal proceeding against thoseinvolved in the supply of substandard pulses for children andpregnant women.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik accepted a proposal ofanti-corruption vigilance department to start criminal actionagainst persons involved in the supply of dal under mid-daymeal (MDM) and supplementary nutrition programme (SNP).

About one crore beneficiaries including 50 lakhchildren were fed infected and substandard dal at differentschools in anganwadi centres for years together.

"The chief minister has also ordered disciplinaryaction against the officials allegedly involved in dal relatedirregularities," an official spokesman said adding actionagainst suppliers and tainted officers would start soon.

Confirming supply of huge quantity of substandardpulses under MDM and SNP, the vigilance wing had meanwhilesubmitted its report on the irregularities in five districts-- Deogarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam and Jajpur.

Though Pramila Mallik had resigned as the minister ofwomen an child development in the wake of the scam and actionsinitiated against three IAS officers who worked as collectorsduring the scam, no action had been taken against suppliers.

After tendering her resignation, Mallik, however,claimed that the vigilance department had given clean chit toher in the dal related irregularities.

The women an child development department was thenodal agency of MDM and SNP.