GUWAHATI: Recent inspections have revealed that large quantities of rice grains transported to Assam from Punjab were substandard and, in some cases, unfit for human consumption.
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Quality tests conducted on November 12 and 13 found that 11,241 quintals of rice sent to Assam and Dimapur in Nagaland failed food safety standards. Adding to the alarm, 18 wagons consisting of 23,097 quintals of rice were found infested with insects.
Meanwhile, fortified rice, which has been designed to improve nutrition, was also reported to be below the required standards.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution has stepped in, instructing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to investigate storage facilities in Punjab, including Sangrur, Jalandhar, and Nabha, where the rice originated.
Additionally, it has also ordered the immediate removal of substandard stocks from the supply chain and launched an investigation to determine the root cause of the contamination.
Assam is not the only state affected. Similar reports of substandard rice have emerged from Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Karnataka. A Punjab government official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that rice dispatched to these states was also "unfit for human consumption."
These revelations have led to further complications in the ongoing tension between the Central government and Punjab over delays in paddy procurement this season.