A shocking case of paddy procurement malpractice has rocked Baloda Bazar in Chhattisgarh, prompting swift police action with an FIR against the errant in-charge manager. At the heart of the Kharthora center controversy is a deliberate ploy to claim payments for non-existent grain, testing the resilience of the state’s farmer support framework.
Manager Durgesh Kumar Gendre allegedly engineered the fraud on January 21, 2026, by misusing brother Surendra’s token to register 53 bags (21.20 quintals) of sarna paddy. He crafted phony weighment records, fed lies into the digital system, and greenlit a fraudulent payout of Rs 50,222.50—flagrantly ignoring rules demanding physical paddy presence before processing.
District overseers, armed with continuous surveillance, zeroed in on the foul play and verified the deceit through prompt investigation. FIR No. 96 at Palari station marks the starting gun for legal reckoning, embodying the administration’s iron-fist approach to corruption.
Unfolding during high-stakes procurement months, the scam inflicts direct monetary wounds on the government while indirectly harming diligent farmers dependent on transparent dealings. Deeper scrutiny looms, with promises of escalated measures against accomplices. This wake-up call demands reinforced safeguards—enhanced tech integration, stricter audits, and unyielding accountability—to fortify the procurement chain against future betrayals.