Authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar have drawn first blood in the battle against paddy procurement irregularities, slapping an FIR on a wayward manager for staging a phantom delivery of rice. The Kharthora center fiasco lays bare the risks of unchecked power in a system handling vast farmer produce.
Durgesh Kumar Gendre stands accused of faking the weighing of 21.20 quintals across 53 bags on January 21, 2026, leveraging his brother Surendra’s token without a shred of actual paddy. From forged slips to online manipulations and fake payments totaling Rs 50,222.50, the scheme was a textbook case of policy evasion—skipping essential steps like arrival confirmation and tangible verification.
The district’s monitoring team pounced on the discrepancy, conducting a probe that validated the charges. Without hesitation, they approached Palari police, securing FIR 96 to launch formal proceedings. This timely intervention comes as procurement centers buzz with activity, protecting the state’s exchequer and farmer equity.
The timing amplifies the outrage: with seasons in full swing, such ruses not only drain public coffers but also demoralize genuine cultivators facing long waits. Administration pledges exhaustive follow-ups, ready to expand the net if links to others emerge. Ultimately, this underscores a clarion call for fortified protocols, blending technology and vigilance to shield agriculture’s backbone from greed-driven exploits.