₹2,000-Crore Mid-Day Meal Scam Uncovered in Rajasthan: ACB Books 21 for Covid-Era Food Grain Fraud

Jaipur: In what is being described as one of the most serious corruption cases linked to welfare delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered an FIR into an alleged ₹2,000-crore scam involving the supply of food grains to schoolchildren under the state’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

As many as 21 individuals, including senior officials and private suppliers, have been named in the case.

According to ACB officials, the alleged irregularities date back to the pandemic period, when schools were closed, and the state government decided to distribute “combo food packs” to students at their homes to ensure nutritional support continued uninterrupted.

These packs—containing pulses, edible oil, spices, and other essentials—were routed through the Rajasthan State Co-operative Consumers’ Federation Limited, commonly known as CONFED.

Scheme Meant for Relief, Turned Into a Racket

The food kits were meant to be supplied under strict guidelines. Officials claimed the material met Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Agmark standards and was to be delivered door-to-door to government school students across Rajasthan.

The initiative was positioned as a crucial humanitarian intervention at a time when millions of families were struggling for basic sustenance.

However, complaints soon began surfacing, alleging large-scale manipulation, inflated billing, and non-supply of goods.

Acting on these inputs, the ACB initiated a preliminary inquiry, which, officials say, revealed a deeply entrenched nexus between government functionaries and private suppliers.

Manipulated Tenders, Favoured Firms

Preliminary findings suggest that officials linked to the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and CONFED allegedly colluded to bend procurement rules.

Eligible and technically qualified firms were reportedly sidelined, while tenders were awarded to a select group of favoured companies, giving them undue financial advantage.

The investigation further revealed that these firms illegally sublet the contracts to other entities, creating a layered and opaque supply chain.

Through this arrangement, an organised network of fake suppliers and transporters allegedly came into existence—entities that existed largely on paper but were used to siphon off public funds.

Fake Bills, Inflated Rates, No Supplies

ACB officials stated that in several instances, fake invoices were generated at highly inflated rates without any actual procurement or delivery of food items.

Payments were nevertheless cleared using forged documents, leading to what the agency described as “systematic fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy.”

“This organised manipulation resulted in a massive loss to the state exchequer, estimated at approximately ₹2,000 crore,” an ACB official said, adding that the scale of the scam reflects not just financial misconduct but a grave betrayal of children dependent on government welfare during a public health emergency.

Officials and Private Players Named

The FIR names multiple CONFED officials, including Sanvatram (Assistant Accounts Officer), Rajendra (Manager, Civil Supplies), Lokesh Kumar Bapna (Manager, Civil Supplies), Pratibha Saini (Assistant Manager), Yogendra Sharma (Manager, Projects), Rajendra Singh Shekhawat (Manager), Ramdhan Bairwa (Godown Keeper, Marketing Section), and Dinesh Kumar Sharma (Supervisor, Marketing Section).

Central store officials such as Shailesh Saxena (Regional Manager), B.C. Joshi (Deputy Manager) and Chandan Singh (Assistant Manager) have also been booked.

In addition, several private firms and individuals—including Tirupati Suppliers, Jagrut Enterprises, MT Enterprises, Sai Trading, and individuals such as Kanwaljit Singh Ranawat, Madhur Yadav, Tribhuvan Yadav, Satish Mulchand Vyas, Deepak Vyas, and Ritesh Yadav—have been named for their alleged roles in executing and benefiting from the scam.

Investigation Ongoing, More Names Possible

The ACB has emphasised that the probe is at an active stage. Investigators are examining financial trails, scrutinising procurement files, verifying transport records, and analysing forged documents.

Officials indicated that further arrests and additional names cannot be ruled out as the investigation deepens.

“Evidence collection, record verification, and forensic examination of transactions are underway. Strict legal action will be taken against all those found guilty, irrespective of their position,” the ACB said.

A Larger Question of Accountability

The case has once again raised uncomfortable questions about governance and accountability in welfare schemes, particularly during crisis periods like the Covid-19 pandemic, when emergency procurement often bypasses routine checks.

What was meant to provide nutritional security to vulnerable children appears, investigators allege, to have been exploited for personal gain on an industrial scale.

As the probe unfolds, the scandal is likely to have significant political and administrative repercussions in Rajasthan, bringing renewed focus on transparency in public distribution systems and the safeguarding of funds meant for society’s most vulnerable.

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