CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2020 / 18:29 pm
An Indian archbishop has demanded action over a government mistake which has led poor people of Madhya Pradesh to purchase rotten grains from a public distribution system.
The Indian government issued a report cautioning against expired rice grains in fair-price shops, which allow people below the poverty line to have access to cheaper food. The rotten rice was found in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla and Balaghat districts.
"I am shocked to learn that the government system has distributed food grains totally unfit for human consumption. It is distressing that it is done to poor people who are increasingly dependent on the government for their food, especially in these times of pandemic," said Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal, according to UCA News.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution said 32 samples of food grains were collected for tests. The federal report found that the stocks were procured from recycled and old supplies, and the burlap sacks used to store the rice were at least two years old, UCA News reported.