Hearing on rice ‘scam’: None turn up to depose

SHILLONG, Dec 9: None turned up to depose before the independent inquiry commission set up to probe the alleged rice scam in the state during the virtual hearing which began at Pinewood Hotel on Thursday after a delay of six months.
It was informed that the commission will have another virtual sitting on Friday, while it is expected that social activist Angela Rangad may likely appear before the commission.
It may be noted that the government has asked any person who is conversant with the alleged incident can also depose before the Committee.
The state government had constituted a one-man committee under retired Justice Mool Chand Garg to shed light on the alleged rice scam that took place in June this year.
However, Justice Garg and the state government were finalising terms and conditions of the probe, which resulted in a delay.
The state government had issued the notification for the inquiry on July 29, a month after the Assam Police seized 1 lakh rice bags each weighing 50 kg from a private godown in Boko.
In the inquiry, the committee was tasked with presenting a report on the rice allotted to Milkcose (India) Limited for the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) as well as the quality and testing of fortified SNP food items that are supplied to children, pregnant and lactating women in Meghalaya under the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme.