Sonipat Ration Scam: Theft of Poor’s Share, Shocking Irregularities in Distribution
Media Report, Sonipat –
Shocking revelations have emerged regarding the theft and black marketing of government-supplied ration meant for the underprivileged. Within just two months, the Food and Civil Supplies Department conducted raids at two locations, uncovering major irregularities.

On Wednesday night, officials raided seven locations in Pabsara and Jakholi villages, where discrepancies were found in stock levels—some depots had excess supplies, while others had shortages. Alarmingly, seven ration outlets were being operated under a single license, a clear violation of regulations. Similarly, in March, a benami (proxy) depot was found operating illegally in Khewra village.

How the Scam Worked

In these cases, the license was in one person’s name, but operations were handled by someone else. The commission was being transferred to a third party’s account. Following investigations, the department registered FIRs and sealed the depots.

In Pabsara, under Inspector Naveen Paliwal’s leadership, the team found that depot holder Jaiprakash was using two POS machines to distribute ration to seven shops, violating the rule that only one depot is allowed per license. Stock mismatch was also found:

• In Pabsara, there was an excess of 23 kg sugar, 102 kg bajra, and 182 liters of mustard oil.

• In Jakholi, wheat was 35.64 quintals short, sugar was 31 kg short, while bajra was 3.62 quintals in excess and mustard oil was 275 liters short.

Officials suspect that missing stock was illegally sold in the market, with large-scale tampering occurring using a single license.

Benami Depot in Khewra

In March, a proxy depot was found operating in Khewra, where the license belonged to one person, but another was running the shop. The commission was being credited to someone else’s account. The depot was immediately shut down and action was taken against the holder.

Ration Not Delivered in February & March

Due to negligence by the ration supply contractor, most beneficiaries did not receive ration in February and March. Supplies arrived late, and distribution couldn't be completed. Since POS machines don’t allow carry-forward to the next month, many people missed their quota—mustard oil was not delivered at all. However, distribution has resumed smoothly from April.