ED conducts searches in Custom Rice Milling special incentive scam

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations on Friday and Saturday at the premises of ex-Managing Director of Markfed, treasurer and office-bearers of Chhattisgarh Rice Millers Association, district Marketing Officers, and a few rice millers, in the Custom Rice Milling special incentive scam.

In a statement, the financial probe agency stated that the ED initiated investigation on the basis of a complaint filed by the Income-Tax Department under various Sections of the I-T Act, 1961 and IPC, 1860 before the of CJM, Raipur.

It was alleged in the complaint that the officer-bearers of Chhattisgarh State Rice Millers Association colluded with officers of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Federation Ltd (Markfed) and hatched a conspiracy to misuse the special incentive and earn crores in kickbacks.

“Till Kharif year 2021-22, a special incentive of Rs. 40 per quintal of paddy was paid by the Government of Chhattisgarh to the rice millers for custom milling of paddy. Subsequently, it was exorbitantly increased to Rs. 120 per quintal of paddy, which was paid in two installments of Rs. 60 each,” it said. “The office-bearers of Chhattisgarh State Rice Millers Association, which includes Treasurer, Roshan Chandrakar in connivance with Manoj Soni, MD, MARKFED started collecting kickbacks amount of Rs. 20 per installment for each quintal of paddy milled from the rice millers,” it further stated.

“The details of rice millers who have paid the cash amounts were sent by the district rice millers association to the District Marketing Officer (DMO) concerned. The DMOs, upon receiving the bills of rice millers, cross-checked them with the details received from the district rice millers association; this information was then passed on to the head office of Markfed,” it said.

“The bills of only those rice millers who paid cash amount to the association were cleared by MD, Markfed for payment,” the agency.

The ED’s investigation also revealed that after the increase in the special allowance from Rs 40 to Rs 120 per quintal, payments worth Rs 500 crore were released, generating kickbacks of Rs 175 crore which were collected by Roshan Chandrakar with active assistance of MD MARKFED, for the benefit of 'higher powers'.

“During the search operations various incriminating documents, digital devices and unaccounted cash of Rs. 1.06 crore were found and seized,” it added.