Patna: JDU and RJD MLAs crossed swords in the Assembly on Thursday over the paddy procurement scam.

RJD leaders Ramanuj Prasad and Shakti Yadav raised the paddy scam, which might be worth over Rs 1,000 crore, during Question Hour. The heated discussion saw the RJD members entering the Well of the House shouting slogans against the Nitish Kumar government.

Food and civil supplies minister Madan Sahni in his reply said that during the financial years 2011-12 to 2013-14, over 7.48 lakh metric tonnes of procured paddy were sent to various rice mills for milling and the rice was not returned to the government within the fixed timeframe. The cost of the milled rice is estimated at over Rs 1,573 crore. The government, the minister said, has got over Rs 349 crore from the millers and the rest is still to be recovered.

The minister said that during the same period, cases have been registered against 1,446 rice millers and cases to attach property had been registered against 1,676 millers, He said the government had managed to get 521 body warrants against the millers and in another 407 cases distress warrants have been issued. He said 40 body warrants and four distress warrants have been executed.

The government, the minister said, had started recovery of money of over Rs 114 crore from 409 guilty state employees of which Rs 16.56 crore had been recovered and the rest was under process. Charges have been framed against 211 employees and acquisition of property cases had been registered against 485 employees.

The minister stated that as per the direction of the Supreme Court the government had formed special courts in Patna, Purnia, Darbhanga, Chhapra and Gaya to hear the cases and a special investigation team (SIT) had been set up in April this year.

The RJD MLAs demanded the list of guilty government officials and employees be read out in the Assembly and alleged the government was trying to save "big officials" involved in the scam that happened during the NDA regime. The minister offered to send the list to the RJD members.

RJD MLA Alok Mehta demanded removal of officials and employees involved in the scam. Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary moved on to the next question, prompting the RJD MLAs to rush to the Well.

The House was adjourned till 12 noon.