New Delhi, November 23
The UPA government’s rejection of the Opposition demand for a CBI inquiry into the import of inferior quality wheat at a higher price than the ruling domestic rate led the BJP stage a walkout in the Lok Sabha today.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar told the House that wheat had to be imported because of the huge gap in demand and supply and insisted that the wheat supplies through the public distribution system was not of inferior quality.

Replying to the points raised by BJP’s Vijay Kumar Malhotra on the import of wheat through a calling attention motion, Pawar explained that the complaint was about preference as many states did not prefer the red wheat.

He said states lifted the red wheat only after a joint inspection and sampling of the stocks in the FCI godowns by the representations of the FCI and the states.

Pawar disclosed that before the imported wheat was allowed to be discharged from the ships at Indian ports, its quality was tested by the competent authorities under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. The imported wheat was allowed to be discharged from ships only if it was found conforming to all specifications laid down.

He made it clear that while allocating wheat to the states for distribution through the TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System), no distinction was made between the imported and domestic wheat.

Admitting that his ministry had received complaints about the quality of imported wheat from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Pawar said the analysis of samples from the FCI godowns in these states had conformed to the quality standards.

The minister said instructions had been issued to all state governments that wheat and rice not conforming to the prevention of the Food Adulteration Act specifications should not be issued to consumers under the TPDS.

He acknowledged that the price of wheat had gone up in the international market due to drought and consequent crop failure in the major wheat producing country of Australia. Consequently, India had to pay a higher import price.

Initiating the calling attention discussion, Malhotra, who is the BJP’s deputy leader, said the wheat supplied to below the poverty line families under the TDPS was rotten and substandard and several states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala had complained about this to the Centre.

He said through the red wheat was not liked by the people in many parts of the country, the government had imported this variety at a higher price.