In its annual report, the CAG said there was no testing laboratory or trained manpower for conducting quality inspection of the foodgrains supplied through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state.
“The PDS (Control) Order, 2001, envisages that the representatives of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department (CAPD) and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) should conduct a joint inspection of stocks intended for the PDS to ensure that the quality of the foodgrains confirmed to the prescribed quality specifications,” the report said.
It said there was no system to check the quality of foodgrains. “Neither had any joint inspections been held nor any samples lifted,” it added.
The report stated the CAPD Department had collected 43 samples of the PDS atta and got the quality checked by the public analyst, Jammu, during 2009-2010. However, the quality checking was stopped without any reason.
“Viewed from the fact that the department had issued 1.73 lakh metric tonnes of wheat/atta on an average annually from 2007 to 2010 through the PDS in the Jammu division, the quality check of the foodgrains by an outside agency for only seven months during the past three years indicated non-seriousness on the part of the department to supply quality foodgrains to the consumers through the PDS,” the report added.
“In the absence of testing facilities and trained manpower, there is a risk of supply of contaminated or substandard foodgrains to the public,” it said, adding that no such checks had been conducted in the Kashmir division.
The CAPD Department said instructions would be given to obtain samples of foodgrains to be issued under the PDS regularly. It added that quality tests would be conducted, as required.
The CAG suggested to the government that a strong internal quality control mechanism should be put in place in the department.