Food Minister Afroza Khanam Rita has issued a stern warning that no mismanagement, irregularity or corruption involving grain stocks in the country’s government food godowns will be tolerated.
She said that if any syndicate forms around a food godown, or if any official or staff member is found involved in irregularities, no one will be spared. She said that, if necessary, those found to be backing such irregularities will also be brought under the law.
She made the remarks in an interview with a national daily on Friday, August 28, afternoon.
The food minister said government food godowns across the country’s 64 districts will be investigated in phases. Wherever discrepancies in stock records, embezzlement of grain, storage irregularities or other corruption are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible. She said there is no room for negligence or corruption in a matter as critical as food security.
The minister said no games will be allowed to be played with the public’s food supply. She said no syndicate centered on a food godown will be tolerated. Public food in government godowns will remain safe, records will be accurate, and officials in charge will be held accountable.
She said she is working to implement the prime minister’s election manifesto pledge to ensure safe food for every citizen and to build a sustainable, self-reliant Bangladesh. She said that during her time as aviation minister, she carried out the responsibilities the prime minister assigned her with honesty and diligence, and that although her portfolio has changed, the pace of her work will not.
The food minister said the Food Ministry has a series of plans to make it fully people-friendly and service-oriented. She said food security has been given special emphasis in the prime minister’s election manifesto, and that the government will maintain a “zero tolerance” policy to ensure safe food for everyone, from children to the elderly.
She said that, rather than temporary crackdowns, the country’s food testing laboratories will be modernized for a permanent solution, and food quality-control systems will be developed to meet international standards.
The Ghior incident
The food minister said a crackdown against irregularities in government food godowns has already begun in her home district of Manikganj. The issue has come back into the spotlight after a recent stock inspection at the Ghior government food godown uncovered a substantial shortfall in rice and wheat.
She said the Ghior incident is not being treated as an isolated case. She said it will be investigated whether similar irregularities exist in other food godowns across the country.
Afroza Khanam Rita said: “Through the Ghior incident, we want to show that the days of mismanagement in government food godowns are over. If any official on duty is found involved in irregularities, action will be taken against them. Not only those directly responsible for the irregularities, but also those who backed or assisted them, will be brought under the law.”
She said a situation where the recorded stock of grain in a food godown differs from what actually exists on the ground is unacceptable under any circumstances. Government grain is public property, she said, and there is no room for wasting, embezzling or illegally removing even a single kilogram of it. Officials and staff responsible for godowns, as well as those involved in oversight, will be held accountable.
The minister said that if any irregularity is found in a godown, it will not be allowed to be dismissed as a minor error. She said that if an incident similar to the one at the Ghior government food godown is found anywhere else in the country, strict action will be taken. She said irregularities will not be tolerated regardless of who is involved, without regard to identity or influence.
Calling food security one of the government’s top priorities, she said Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has set a goal of building a self-sufficient Bangladesh in food, and that the Food Ministry must work with transparency and accountability to achieve it. She said it is not enough simply to procure food; it is also the government’s responsibility to ensure that the grain collected is properly stored and distributed.
In the food minister’s words, food security is not just about having adequate stock. It also requires ensuring that food is properly preserved, that records are accurate, and that it reaches its intended beneficiaries. Any corruption or syndicate found in this area will be dismantled.
Calling for government food godowns to be brought under a people-friendly and accountable system, the food minister said operations at all government food godowns nationwide will be monitored in phases. Where allegations of irregularities are received, investigations will proceed alongside necessary administrative and legal action. Monitoring of grain stock and supply systems will be strengthened further to increase transparency.
She said government food godowns exist for the public, not for the benefit of any individual or group, and that no one will be spared if they engage in corruption involving the public’s food.