Chandigarh, Feb 27 Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday dismissed the opposition's allegation of a ₹5,000-crore scam in paddy procurement, urging them to present any evidence before the Assembly instead of making unfounded claims.
He targeted the opposition, stating that they have no substantive issue to raise and are attempting to mislead the Assembly by making claims of a ₹5,000-crore scam.
Congress MLAs, including B B Batra and Ashok Arora, had given a Calling Attention notice, alleging that rice millers, commission agents, transport contractors, and government officials were involved in the "₹5,000-crore paddy scam."
INLD members, including Aditya Devi Lal and Arjun Chautala, had also given a Calling Attention notice on the same issue.
The Speaker combined both Calling Attention Notices, which prompted the government to provide its response.
Speaking in the Assembly, Congress' Ashok Arora called for an investigation by a high court judge or the CBI into the "paddy scam."
Chief Minister Saini clarified that paddy procurement in Haryana is conducted strictly in accordance with government guidelines through authorized agencies and is monitored through a robust, multi-layered system.
Saini stated that the claim of a ₹5,000-crore scam is entirely without factual basis.
Saini said that if any instance of fake slips, duplicate entries, or other irregularities has been detected, the government has taken prompt and firm action.
"Unlike in the past, when irregularities were often unchecked, the current system identifies discrepancies and ensures corrective action," he said.
He stated that earlier irregularities continued, but no one was caught. However, under the new system, any irregularity is detected, and strict action is taken.
He said that complaints of irregularities were received in some mandis. In October and November 2025, joint committees were constituted in all districts, and physical verification of paddy stored in rice mills was conducted.
Wherever prima facie irregularities were found, 12 FIRs were registered against concerned officers, employees, commission agents, and rice millers. Investigations are being conducted impartially and transparently, and arrests of involved persons have also been made, Saini said.
He further shared that, additionally, the Food and Supplies Department, procurement agencies, and the Marketing Board initiated departmental inquiries against 75 officers and employees, out of which 28 have been suspended.
A recovery of ₹6.38 crore has been made from rice millers and deposited into the government treasury.
Payments to labor, lifting, and transport contractors associated with suspected paddy lifting have been stopped, and their role is under investigation.
This clearly shows that the government does not tolerate negligence or corruption at any level, he said.
Saini said that to prevent any recurrence of irregularities, the e-procurement portal is being comprehensively upgraded.
Beginning with the upcoming Rabi and Kharif marketing seasons 2026-27, several technology-driven measures will be introduced, including geo-tagged gate passes, automatic number plate recognition for vehicles, geo-fencing of mandis, warehouses, and rice mills, and installation of CCTV cameras at entry and exit points.
The chief minister said that, in addition, provisions such as biometric verification of farmers and physical inspections through a mobile application will be implemented.
Physical verification will now be strictly conducted within the geo-fenced framework to ensure that designated officials carry out inspections on-site, thereby eliminating any possibility of paperwork-based formalities or manipulation.
Meanwhile, Saini said the government has implemented structural reforms to enhance transparency, accountability, and farmer welfare.
The procurement system has been digitized from the farm level, including the introduction of a digital gate-pass mechanism to enhance transparency, he said.
He clarified that farmers register their crop on the 'Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal', which is duly verified to ascertain sown area and assess production accurately. Therefore, allegations that there is no effective verification mechanism on the portal are incorrect, he said.
He informed the House that during the Kharif season 2025-26, State procurement agencies procured over 62 lakh metric tonnes of non-basmati paddy at Minimum Support Price from over 3 lakh farmers.
He said that the procurement policy is completely data-based. Crop arrival figures in mandis are estimated, whereas procurement figures are recorded on the basis of actual weight after cleaning and measurement, he said.
On some opposition members raising concerns regarding discrepancies between the figures of crop arrivals and procurement, Saini clarified that the arrival figures recorded at any mandi are largely based on estimates, whereas procurement figures are entered after weighment and reflect the actual measured quantity.
The allegations of a 30 to 50 percent discrepancy, he said, are baseless and devoid of facts, he said.
He further stated that the Government of India had assigned the state a target of 8 lakh metric tonnes of Custom Milled Rice (CMR). This target has nearly been achieved, and timely supply to the Food Corporation of India is being ensured, he said.