PORVORIM: The maggot-filled rice which the government initially turned a blind eye to before directing responsibility to the Fair Price shops found its way to the Assembly.
Earlier O Heraldo’s report exposing the presence of maggot-filled rice in multiple fair price shops was raised by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai. Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant had promised to verify the same even as Agriculture Minster Ravi Naik dismissed it as “Old news”.
O Heraldo then produced video evidence of when the footage of infested rice was taken.
As evidence, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday produced three packets of infested rice in the Legislative Assembly, stating that it was supplied to the fair price shops.
Placing it on the table of the House, Sardesai said that these packets are for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Civil Supplies Minister Ravi Naik and Director of Civil Supplies Gopal Parsekar. He challenged them to cook and eat this infested rice, adding that he will join them in eating it if it is fit for human consumption.
Sardesai said that he had brought rice from the fair price shop at Davorlim, where he was supplied by the department and alleged that this is what ration card holders consume.
Sawant said, “We verified it, it is also the responsibility of fair price shops.”
Naik claimed that rice got infested in the fair price shop due to moisture even as the department will replace the same with fresh stock.
After O Heraldo’s reports, fair price shops started getting calls, from the department questioning them on how the ‘media’ was aware and reported this.
