Haryana Assembly Sees Fiery Debate Over Alleged Rs 5,000 Crore Paddy Procurement Scam
The Haryana legislative assembly on Friday descended into chaos as opposition parties, led by the Congress, engaged in intense verbal sparring with the ruling treasury benches. The uproar centered on a calling attention motion addressing an alleged massive scam in paddy procurement, estimated at a staggering Rs 5,000 crore.
Opposition Demands CBI Investigation Amid Heated Exchanges
Congress legislators vehemently insisted on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the purported irregularities. Senior Congress MLA Ashok Arora spearheaded the charge, declaring, "The paddy procurement scam has reached Rs 5,000 crore; there should be an immediate CBI probe." In a sharp retort, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini rebuffed the allegations, accusing the opposition of misleading the House with unverified claims. He countered, "Scams worth crores of rupees used to take place during the Congress regime."
This sparked a direct confrontation between Saini and Arora. Arora challenged the CM, stating, "If anything happened during the Congress regime, send those cases to the CBI as well. But this procurement scam should also be handed over to the central agency for investigation." Adding to the political drama, PWD Minister Ranbir Singh Gangwa took a dig at Arora, suggesting his demand for probing Congress-era scams stemmed from not being part of the party during its tenure.
Widespread Opposition Support for Probe
Although Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda was absent, other Congress lawmakers, including Geeta Bhukkal, Aditya Surjewala, and Shalley Chaudhary, alongside INLD MLA Aditya Devi Lal, united in raising the issue. They collectively demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged paddy procurement scam, which reportedly involved ghost procurement activities during the recent season.
Chief Minister Announces Technology-Driven Reforms
In his detailed reply, CM Saini outrightly rejected the opposition's call for a CBI probe. However, he acknowledged certain "systematic gaps" and "irregularities" in the procurement process. To address these, he unveiled a series of technology-driven measures set to be implemented from the upcoming Rabi and Kharif marketing seasons of 2026–27. Key initiatives include:
- Geo-tagged gate passes for enhanced tracking
- Automatic number plate recognition systems for vehicles
- Geo-fencing of mandis, warehouses, and rice mills
- Installation of CCTV cameras at entry and exit points of mandis
Saini emphasized, "Physical verification will now be strictly conducted within the geo-fenced framework to ensure that designated officials carry out inspections on-site, thereby eliminating any possibility of paperwork-based formalities or manipulation." He further informed that on December 11, 2025, the per-acre yield limit was revised to better align actual production with procurement data.
Government Actions and Procurement Statistics
The CM disclosed that complaints of irregularities were received in some mandis. During October and November 2025, joint committees were formed across all districts, leading to physical verification of paddy stored in rice mills. Where prima facie irregularities were identified, 12 FIRs were registered against officers, employees, commission agents, and rice millers. Additionally, procurement agencies initiated departmental inquiries against 75 officers and employees, with 28 suspensions. A recovery of over Rs 6.3 crore was made from rice millers and deposited into the government treasury.
Saini invited constructive suggestions, assuring that the government remains open to positive input aimed at strengthening the procurement process. He highlighted that while the system had flaws for years, his administration introduced structural reforms. "From the arrival of paddy in the mandi to the return of rice from rice millers, checks are now placed at every stage. Earlier irregularities continued and no one was caught, but under the new system, any irregularity is detected and strict action is taken," he asserted.
The government is continuously working to make the system foolproof. Saini also provided procurement data: during the Kharif season 2025-26, state agencies procured 62.13 lakh metric tonnes of non-basmati paddy at minimum support price from over 3 lakh farmers. As per the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, 30.17 lakh acres under non-basmati paddy were verified, with estimated production at 97.8 lakh metric tonnes. The Government of India assigned Haryana a target of 8 lakh metric tonnes of Custom Milled Rice, permitting up to 10% broken rice.
