AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has alleged that the Delhi government was planning a ₹22,000-crore subsidised rice scam over three years, claiming rice meant for poor people was instead being sold to a private company for profit.
Bharadwaj, a former Delhi minister, made the allegations in a post on X, claiming that the Delhi government and an Assam-based corporation had approached the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for heavily subsidised rice.
According to Bharadwaj, around 31,000 metric tonnes of rice per week was sought for distribution among economically disadvantaged people in Delhi. He alleged that the rice did not reach the intended beneficiaries and was instead sold to a private company in Haryana.
Bharadwaj alleges ₹143 crore weekly scam
Bharadwaj claimed the alleged arrangement could have resulted in a financial loss of around ₹143 crore every week.
He alleged that if the arrangement continued for three years, the total value of the alleged scam would reach nearly ₹22,000 crore.
“The subsidised rice never reached even a single poor person,” Bharadwaj claimed in his post, alleging that the stock was sold to a private company at a profit.
He also shared a video in which he elaborated on his allegations and accused the Delhi government and the Assam-based corporation of planning to profit from subsidised foodgrain meant for people in need.
Allegation over 31,000 metric tonnes of rice
Bharadwaj further claimed that the Delhi government’s food and supplies department had written to the FCI seeking 31,000 metric tonnes of rice every week for an Assam-based corporation.
He alleged that instead of being distributed among eligible beneficiaries in Delhi, the rice was being diverted for commercial gain.
Bharadwaj also claimed that the Assam-based corporation could have earned a commission of around ₹70 crore every week under the alleged arrangement. He put the alleged gain over three years at around ₹11,000 crore.
The AAP leader further claimed that the alleged irregularities were detected by the Central government’s vigilance department.
Delhi government yet to respond to allegations
The claims made by Bharadwaj are political allegations and have not been independently established in the information available in the supplied report.
The Delhi government and the concerned authorities have not been quoted as responding to the allegations in the report. Any official clarification, investigation findings or documentary evidence would be required to establish whether the alleged rice diversion took place.
The controversy comes amid an ongoing political debate over the distribution of subsidised foodgrains and the functioning of government welfare schemes in Delhi.
