ED Raids in West Bengal: Former Minister Jyotipriya Mallick in Custody Over Ration Scam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Friday at several locations across West Bengal as part of an investigation into the Public Distribution System (PDS) ration scam. The raids took place in Chakraberia, Kolkata, and six other locations, including Basanti, Jaynagar, and Kalyani.
Former food and civil supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was arrested in October 2023, remains in custody. In July, the ED raided the residence of a rice mill owner, allegedly a close aide of Mallick, in connection with the scam.
In April, the ED attached 48 immovable properties worth over Rs 150 crore belonging to Mallick and other accused. These assets include two hotels and residential houses. The value of the attached properties is Rs 50.47 crore, which the agency claims were acquired from the proceeds of the PDS ration scam.
The investigation revealed that ration meant for delivery through PDS was siphoned to the open market, old wheat flour was mixed with fresh flour meant for PDS distribution, and bogus paddy procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) was conducted. Mallick, along with Bakibur Rahaman, Sankar Addhya, and Biswajit Das, were arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
Doubts Revealed
ED -: ED stands for Enforcement Directorate. It is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
West Bengal -: West Bengal is a state in eastern India. It has cities like Kolkata, which is its capital.
Jyotipriya Mallick -: Jyotipriya Mallick is a politician who used to be the food and civil supplies minister in West Bengal.
Ration Scam -: A ration scam is when people cheat the system that provides food and supplies to the poor, taking more than they should or selling it illegally.
Kolkata -: Kolkata is a big city in West Bengal, known for its culture and history.
Basanti -: Basanti is a town in West Bengal, part of the Sundarbans area.
Jaynagar -: Jaynagar is another town in West Bengal, known for its sweets called ‘Jaynagarer Moa’.
Kalyani -: Kalyani is a planned town in West Bengal, known for its educational institutions.
PDS -: PDS stands for Public Distribution System. It is a government program in India that provides food and essential items to the poor at low prices.
Rs 150 crore -: Rs 150 crore means 1.5 billion rupees, which is a lot of money in Indian currency.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 -: This is a law in India that helps the government catch and punish people who try to hide money they got illegally.