Hyderabad : Irrigation, Food, and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy has issued a stern warning against rice millers and others involved in the recycling of PDS (ration) rice. The minister, after a thorough inspection of a ration shop in Huzurnagar on Monday, expressed deep concern over the diversion and misuse of ration rice.
Currently, nearly 54 lakh ration cardholders in Telangana receive 5 kgs of rice from the Central Government and 1 kg from the State Government. Additionally, the State Government provides 6 kg of rice every month for another 35 lakh ration cardholders. Despite the total procurement cost amounting to Rs 39 per kg, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that almost 70-75% of ration rice is being recycled by millers and other unscrupulous entities.
“The State Government views this matter very seriously. Anyone found involved in the recycling of rice will face severe consequences. The Congress Government is committed to taking stringent action against millers or any other individuals engaged in the recycling of ration rice,” he stated.
The minister also shed light on the financial challenges inherited from the previous government, with the Civil Supplies Corporation burdened with a massive debt of about Rs 56,000 crore. He emphasized that the annual interest burden of the corporation now exceeds Rs 3,000 crore, attributing the losses to the neglect of the department by the previous government.
Moreover, Uttam Kumar Reddy criticized the earlier government’s policy, which entrusted paddy stocks worth Rs 22,000 crore to rice millers without any security or bank guarantee. Facing a precarious situation, the corporation is exploring options like selling rice to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and considering an open sale of paddy stocks through a transparent mechanism.
“We are making efforts to rescue the corporation from its precarious position,” he announced, adding that measures would be implemented to streamline the department and enhance services to ration cardholders and farmers from whom paddy is procured. The last completed audit of the corporation was for the year 2018-19, and the minister assured an expedited audit to ensure accountability and transparency.
