Kota schools hit by mid-day meal scam, foodgrain worth Rs 1 crore missing

More than 3,000 quintals of wheat and rice allocated for schoolchildren under the mid-day meal scheme have supposedly gone missing in Rajasthan's Kota district, with an Education Department enquiry pointing to alleged irregularities by a Gujarat-based transport contractor.Of the foodgrain collected from a government warehouse in multiple consignments, 3,213 quintals of wheat and rice allegedly never reached the schools. The missing stock is estimated to be worth around Rs 81 lakh at government rates, while its value in the open market could range from Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.10 crore.Following a complaint by the authorities, police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the alleged misappropriation.The irregularities concern foodgrain allocated to government schools in Kota district under the National Nutrition Support Programme for the second quarter, covering July to September 2026. According to the departmental probe, the entire allocated stock of wheat and rice was collected from Central Warehouse No. 1 in Kota between July 14 and July 21.The responsibility for transporting the foodgrain to schools had been assigned to Bhairavnath Roadways, a firm based in Gujarat's Himmatnagar. The contractor was awarded the work order at a rate of Rs 32.06 per quintal. However, complaints began pouring in from schools about shortages in the foodgrain supplied for preparing mid-day meals, despite the entire allocated stock having been collected from the warehouse.The Education Department subsequently sought block-wise reports and verified the quantity allocated to schools against the actual supplies received.The enquiry found that 1,844 quintals of wheat and 1,369 quintals of rice had not reached the schools, taking the total shortfall to 3,213 quintals, an official said."We were continuously writing to the logistics department. All schools have complete receipts for the supplies provided," Roop Singh Meena, District Education Officer (Headquarters), Elementary Education, Kota, stated.CONTRACTOR IGNORES NOTICEThe Education Department's findings prompted further action by the logistics department, which issued show-cause notices on October 14 to Narayanlal Shankar Lal Khatik, proprietor of Bhairavnath Roadways, and Shailendra Sharma, an authorised person associated with the firm.The department sought their response by 10.30 am on October 15. However, neither submitted a reply within the stipulated time.The department subsequently lodged a police complaint in Kota.Police have registered a case under Sections 318(4), 316(2), 316(3) and 61(2)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertain to cheating and criminal breach of trust.The police investigation will focus on what happened to the missing wheat and rice after it was procured from the government warehouse and who, if anyone, was responsible for the alleged diversion or misappropriation.- Ends(Based on inputs from Chetan Gurjar)