An alleged Rs 2,000 crore scam connected to the state government's noon meal program during the Covid-19 outbreak was reported by Rajasthan's anticorruption bureau (ACB) on Thursday.
According to ACB officers, the FIR names 21 defendants who have been charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery, and misuse of public funds.
These defendants include representatives of commercial companies and suppliers as well as officials of Rajasthan State Cooperative Consumer Federation Ltd. (Confed).
According to ACB, it was decided that packets of beans, oil, spices, and other necessities would be provided through Confed under the midday meal program when schools were closed due to the pandemic.
The content was to be delivered to students doorsteps throughout the state in compliance with FSSAI and Agmark regulations.
In 2020-21, ACB registered a preliminary probe in response to reports of widespread irregularities. Officers claimed it exposed a plot by authorities to manipulate the qualifying requirements in order to rig the contract process. Because qualified enterprises were excluded from the bidding process, favored companies were able to corner contracts.
These companies purportedly subcontract the work to shell companies, constructing a fictitious supply chain with nonexistent suppliers and carriers and little to no real procurement or delivery.
The examination also discovered that in a number of instances, fictitious bills were created and filed without any real supply or purchase, and government payments were received based on false and exaggerated invoices.
It is frequently assumed that inferior supplies were provided, but they were falsely certified as according to safety and quality standards.
According to ACB, the state exchequer suffered a financial loss of almost Rs 2,000 crore. An FIR was filed against Confed officials, central warehouse employees, private people, and the companies engaged in light of the findings.
