Thousands of quintals of wheat rot in MP govt warehouses; accountability demanded

By A Representative 

The news of thousands of quintals of wheat rotting in government warehouses in Mandla district due to insect infestation and negligence is deeply alarming. According to reports, approximately 17,859 quintals of wheat — roughly 1,786 metric tonnes — purchased during the Rabi Marketing Year 2025-26 through the Civil Supplies Corporation and stored in a government warehouse, has been severely damaged. Large quantities have been infested by insects, with many sacks rendered unfit for consumption.

This incident is particularly disturbing given that Mandla is home to a large population, especially tribal and remote rural communities, that continues to grapple with serious issues of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. The rotting of grain in government warehouses cannot, therefore, be dismissed as merely a technical failure of storage systems. It must be seen as a tragic irony of the government's food distribution apparatus — where grain rots in godowns while hunger persists at the doorstep.

Officials have allegedly shown negligence in monitoring and maintaining warehouse conditions. If investigations confirm that timely inspections, pest control measures, proper ventilation, stack management, or regular quality checks of the stored wheat were not conducted, then the accountability of the concerned officials and warehouse in-charges must be firmly established. Mere demands for explanations will not suffice.

Demands for Action

Raj Kumar Sinha, Coordinator of the Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association, has put forward a series of demands:

- An independent and time-bound investigation into the spoilage of 17,859 quintals of wheat in Mandla's government warehouse.

- Public disclosure of the actual quantity of loss and its economic value.

- Strict action against officials and warehouse in-charges found guilty, and recovery of government losses.

- Special inspection of all government food grain warehouses in the district, with reports made public.

- Scientific testing of the damaged grain before deciding on its disposal, rather than distributing it to the poor, so as not to compromise public health.

- Launch of a special food and nutrition security campaign in the tribal-dominated areas of Mandla district.

- Public disclosure of village-wise data on malnutrition and anemia among children under five years of age, pregnant women, and adolescent girls.

- Ensuring regular monitoring of weight, height, and nutritional status of children at all Anganwadis, with immediate treatment and nutritional rehabilitation arrangements for severely malnourished children.

- Implementation of Gram Sabha monitoring to ensure no eligible tribal or poor family is deprived of rations under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

- Ensuring social audit and Gram Sabha participation in the government's food grain storage and distribution system.

Context of Poverty and Food Insecurity

It is noteworthy that according to NITI Aayog's National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023, based on data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in 2019-21, 9.88% of Mandla district's population lived in multidimensional poverty. In NFHS-4 (2015-16), this figure stood at 31.87%. While the reduction in poverty is certainly positive, it does not mean that poverty and food insecurity have been eliminated from the district.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index measures multiple deprivations simultaneously, including health, nutrition, education, and standard of living. Sinha emphasized that in tribal-majority districts like Mandla, economic poverty is deeply intertwined with challenges related to nutrition, healthcare access, employment, agricultural resources, and access to quality food.