Buses, scooters, motorcycles and three-wheelers were among the vehicles registered for transporting food for the public distribution system, leading to doubt over whether the ration was actually transported to the intended locations, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found in its audit of the Delhi government’s Food and Civil Supplies Department.
Unregistered vehicles
The CAG report for 2016-17, tabled in the Delhi Assembly by Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday, found several irregularities in the implementation of the National Food Security (NFS) Act, 2013. A test-check of 207 vehicles used for transporting food articles from the Food Corporation of India’s godowns to fair price shops (FPS) in Delhi found 10 were registered with other government departments, 42 were not registered with the Transport Department at all.
Eight vehicles, which transported 1,589.92 quintals of food articles to shops, had registration numbers of buses, scooters, motorcycles and three-wheelers.
“This gives rise to doubt whether the reported transportation of SFAs [specified food articles] had actually taken place and possibility of pilferage could not be ruled out,” the CAG report said.
In addition, the report found “deficiencies in implementation of registration and digitisation of beneficiaries” under the Act. Applicants’ self-declaration that none of their family members belonged to the ineligible categories under the Act was taken without independent verification.
Unverified applications
For instance, applications with Aadhaar cards issued by other States were not checked to see if the applicant was already getting rations in that State.
Data of the beneficiaries also had deficiencies, including the space for name of mother and father left blank and invalid names like “ABCD” written. Those holding licences for fair price shops were found to be beneficiaries as well.
The report concluded: “Applicants having Aadhaar issued by other States became NFS beneficiary in Delhi without due verification of their status as NFS beneficiary in their Home State. FPS License Holders were also NFS beneficiaries. Families who had financial capacity to employ servants were allowed NFS benefits.”
