Rice scam probe: Three activists depose before commission

By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 10: Three social activists — Angela Rangad, Tarun Bhartiya and Agnes Kharshiing — on Friday deposed before the independent inquiry commission headed by Justice (retd) Mool Chand Garg which is probing the alleged rice scam in the state.
The commission which held its virtual hearing for the second day in a row recorded the statement of these three individuals.
A source said that the trio would also file their affidavits before the commission shortly.
The commission is likely to visit Assam to find more facts pertaining to the alleged rice scam. On the first day of the hearing on Thursday, no one had turned up before the panel.
The state government had constituted the one-man committee under Justice (retd) Garg to shed light on the alleged rice scam that was unearthed in June this year. The probe, announced on June 28, could not start on time due to delay in finalising the terms and conditions of the probe.
The state government had issued the notification for the inquiry on July 29, a month after the Assam Police seized one lakh rice bags each weighing 50 kg from a private godown in Boko.
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.