FCI serves notices to 20 Aligarh staff for thousands of tonnes of infested grains

20,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 5,000 metric tonnes of rice stored were infested with weevils and deemed unfit for human consumption.

Aligarh: Twenty staff members at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) storage facility in Aligarh have been served show-cause notices after an official investigation revealed that 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 5,000 metric tonnes of rice stored there were infested with weevils and deemed unfit for human consumption, officials here said Wednesday.

"The investigation was conducted by four district officials including the district supply officer after it came to light eight days ago that over 135 ration shops had distributed contaminated grains to ration card-holders. The issue was raised by consumers who reported the poor quality of the food grains," Aligarh Chief Development Officer (CDO) P K Singh told reporters.

Singh further said the contaminated wheat and rice had been procured from Haryana and Punjab in mid-2024. He confirmed that the 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 5,000 metric tonnes of rice were found to be infested.

"The staff at the Aligarh FCI facility have been given three days to respond to the show-cause notices. After reviewing their responses, the authorities will decide on the next course of action," he added.