A structural problem? FCI corruption case offers food for thought

Evidence of corruption unearthed at the government's key foodgrain procurement agency raises questions about whether the problem is systemic or a failure of governance

A few weeks ago, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a massive crackdown on the Food Corporation of India (FCI) conducted searches at around 99 locations across the country and recovered cash amounting to Rs 1.03 crore and fixed deposit receipts of around Rs 3 crore along with property documents in an operation called “Kanak”.

‘Kanak’ is also the local name for wheat in some parts of north India where the bulk of the searches and raids were concentrated and is one of the key commodities — the other being rice — in which the state’s food procurement and