Hyderabad: The PDS rice supplied by the TS Telangana government to BPL families for Rs 1 a kg is being black marketed by rice millers.
The TS government is supplying six kg rice per head to all BPL households without any upper limit on quantity. This means a family of 10 will get 60 kg of rice. Earlier, there was an upper limit of 20 kg per household.
Rice millers are buying the rice from beneficiaries for Rs 10 per kg, recycling it and selling it in the market for Rs 40 a kg.
The millers are even selling the recycled PDS rice to the government for Rs 22 per kg as the PDS quota supplied by the Centre is not enough to meet demand. Nalgonda and Karimnagar have emerged as centres of this racket. The bifurcation of the state has not stopped the illegal flow of PDS rice from AP to TS.
A huge quantity of PDS rice is being transported from AP to rice mills in Miryalaguda and Nagarjunasagar in Nalgonda. Usually this is done after midnight.
Though officials have seized some lorries carrying PDS rice in Nalgonda and Karim-nagar recently the racket goes on.
Except for booking cases, no stern action has been taken against rice millers involved in the racket so far. The rice millers have strong political clout as most of the mills are owned by leaders of major parties.
Civil supplies minister Etela Rajender admitted large scale diversion of PDS rice in the state. He said the government will take action against those involved in such illegal practices.
“As of now those booked under these cases are coming out on bail easily. We will soon bring new norms making these cases non-bailable,” Mr Rajender said.
The government is spending thousands of crores to supply quality rice to the poor for just Rs 1 a kg. It is purchasing the same from the market for over Rs 25 a kg.
But some brokers and millers are diverting the PDS rice, recycling it and selling it to the government and consumers at higher prices,” he said.
