40 bags of noon meal rice seized

KENDRAPARA:Police seized 40 bags of rice meant for Mid-Day Meal from an unauthorised store-house at Baghua village under Rajnagar police limits of Kendrapara district on Tuesday.“Acting on a tip off, a police team raided an illegal store- house and sealed it after detaining the driver of a van, who was unloading the rice bags from the vehicle. The van has also been seized,” said Rajkishor Nayak, officer at Rajnagar police station.

“After seizing the rice bags, we informed the District Education Officer and District Civil Supply Officer about the incident. The case is under investigation,” added the police officer.“We are checking the stock registers and other documents of Charana Sahoo, the rice supplier,” said District Education Officer Sangram Keshari Sahoo.

The District Supply Officer, Ramanath Sahoo, said the department was also probing the incident.
Earlier, Charana of Thakurapatana village under Kendrapara Sadar police limits was arrested on Saturday for allegedly hoarding 500 bags of rice meant for Mid-Day Meal in a house.

“Some suppliers have been giving away rice meant for Mid-Day Meal to local traders and rice mill owners of the district. There is no proper monitoring of the Mid-Day Meal  management. All these years, huge quantities of rice had been diverted to mafias,” alleged Amarbara Biswal, a social worker and child rights activist of Kendrapara.