Telangana Min warns millers of action against recycling of ration rice, attacks erstwhile KCR govt

Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Minister for Irrigation, Food, and Civil Supplies in Telangana, conducted a thorough inspection of ration shops to assess the quality of rice and overall services. Following the inspection, he issued a strong warning, emphasizing severe repercussions for rice millers and other entities engaged in the illicit recycling of PDS (ration) rice.

Currently, around 54 lakh ration cardholders in Telangana benefit from a distribution of 5 kgs of rice from the Central Government and an additional 1 kg from the State Government. Moreover, an additional 6 kg of rice is provided monthly by the State Government to an additional 35 lakh ration cardholders. The procurement cost, whether from the Central or State Government, stands at Rs 39 per kg. The minister highlighted a concerning issue that an estimated 70-75 per cent of ration rice faces recycling by unscrupulous elements, including millers. Reddy's inspection and subsequent warning aim to tackle this detrimental practice, ensuring the fair distribution and quality maintenance of essential provisions for the welfare of the state's populace.

"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," Minister Reddy emphasised on the gravity of the situation and vowed to address it with utmost seriousness in a resolute statement.

Hitting out at the previous BRS govt led by KCR, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the previous Government left the Civil Supplies Corporation burdened with a massive debt of about Rs 56,000 crore. When the KCR-led government assumed office in 2014, the debt was only Rs 3300 crore. Presently, the annual interest burden of the corporation, responsible for ration distribution and paddy procurement, has exceeded Rs 3,000 crore. Over the past decade, the corporation incurred losses of Rs 11,000 crore due to the gross neglect of the department by the previous government. The Minister further criticised the distorted policy of the earlier BRS government which entrusted paddy stocks worth Rs 22,000 crore to rice millers without any security or bank guarantee. 

"We are exploring the sale of 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 added.