810 quintals of paddy found missing; payments worth ₹25 lakh already released to farmers, raising questions over past procurement practices
Published on: December 23, 2025
By: BTNI
Location: Rajnandgaon, India
A startling case of alleged irregularities in paddy procurement has surfaced at the Chhuriya cooperative society, sending shockwaves not only through the local administration but also among the general public of Chhattisgarh. During a recent verification, officials found that 810 quintals of paddy were missing from physical stock, even though records—both on paper and in computer systems—showed the stock as complete and accurate.
What has further intensified the controversy is that payments amounting to nearly ₹25 lakh for the missing paddy had already been transferred to farmers’ bank accounts. The revelation has raised serious questions about whether such practices have been continuing for years under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system and whether such large-scale discrepancies could occur without internal collusion.
In addition to the missing paddy, physical verification of stored “bar dana” (gunny bags) revealed another anomaly, with 300 new gunny bags found in excess of the numbers recorded officially. Together, these discrepancies have exposed significant gaps between documentation and ground reality.
Under the strict supervision and leadership of Rajnandgaon Collector Jitendra Yadav, the current procurement season has witnessed unprecedented inspections and enforcement actions. These developments have cast a shadow over procurement operations of previous years, suggesting that irregularities may have remained concealed due to lax monitoring.
Notably, officials and staff from the Food Department, Cooperative Department, Marketing Federation, and Agricultural Produce Market Committee remain largely unchanged from previous years. The difference, observers say, lies in heightened oversight and administrative resolve. With tighter monitoring at every step, layers of long-standing corruption are now being uncovered.
The action in Rajnandgaon is also being seen as a direct outcome of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s stern warning during his first high-level meeting on paddy procurement. The Chief Minister had categorically stated that any irregularity in MSP procurement would not be tolerated and that district administrations would be held fully accountable. Following this directive, inspections and crackdowns have intensified across the state.
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As a result of these efforts, Rajnandgaon has currently emerged as one of the leading districts—ranked fourth in the state—where major irregularities in MSP paddy procurement have been detected. According to official information, up to December 22, teams constituted under the Collector’s direction have seized a total of 21,172 quintals of paddy during enforcement drives against illegal trading and malpractice in procurement.
The unfolding developments have reinforced demands for greater transparency and accountability in the MSP procurement system, with the Chhuriya case now becoming a significant reference point in the state’s ongoing anti-corruption drive.
