In a bizarre twist shaking Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district, officials point fingers at an army of rats, termites, and insects for gobbling up 26,000 quintals of government-procured paddy worth over Rs 8 crore from two key storage centers. But mounting evidence of fake bills, CCTV tampering, and doctored records suggests a deeper scam lurking beneath the pest excuse.

Unbelievable Shortage Saga

The scandal erupted at Bazar Charbhatta and Bagharra procurement centers, where 2024-25 season paddy procured from farmers at MSP plus bonus suddenly showed massive shortfalls. At Rs 3,100 per quintal, the 26,000 quintal void translates to a staggering Rs 8 crore loss to public coffers.

Rodent Defense Under Fire

District Marketing Officer Abhishek Mishra defended the centers, claiming open-air exposure and pest damage caused the depletion—insisting Kabirdham fares better than 65 other state centers. Yet critics mock the logic: a single rat consumes just 15-20 grams daily, requiring an impossible rodent horde for such destruction.

• High-level complaint details CCTV sabotage during critical periods.
• Fake purchase bills surfaced alongside husk inflow discrepancies.
• Assistant Food Officer Madan Sahu confirms initial probe validates allegations, seeking data on 23 parameters.

Political Rat Trap Protest

Congress activists staged a dramatic showdown outside the DMO office, brandishing rat traps to ridicule the official narrative and demand CBI inquiry plus FIR. The standoff has ignited statewide debate: pest plague or procurement plunder?

With a special committee now digging deeper, Chhattisgarh’s paddy procurement program faces its toughest scrutiny yet, threatening farmer trust and state coffers alike.