Rs 600 Cr Worth Rice Rotting, Govt Ignoring Ration Dealers: Harish
The Congress had promised ₹5,000 honorarium a month and ₹300 as commission per quintal of rice: Reports
HYDERABAD: Senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao on Tuesday demanded that the government keep its promises made to ration shop dealers, and clear their dues.
Speaking with ration shop dealers from all districts at a meeting in Siddipet, Harish Rao said the ration shop dealers association president was saying that he was willing to give up his life by undertaking a fast if that would force the government to keep its promises to them.
The Congress had promised ₹5,000 honorarium a month and ₹300 as commission per quintal of rice, and that it would turn ration shops into mini supermarkets, Harish Rao said and added that all that the dealers were asking was that these promises be kept.
Just the other day, Congress MLA Anirudh Reddy complained that his Jadcherla constituency was not receiving any funds for development, or even for repairing bad roads and he too said, if need be, he will undertake a fast unto death for development funds, Harish Rao said, asking “does one have to die to get your bills paid in Congress rule?”
Targeting civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Harish Rao said old coarse rice stocks worth ₹600 crore had been left untouched for around 17 months. There are one lakh tonnes lying in godowns and mandal-level stock points. Another 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes were in ration shops. “All of this rice has gone musty, red weevils and grain borers have destroyed the grain and rats and bandicoots are feeding on this rice,” Harish Rao said.
“This minister talks a great deal about his military background. Did he not have the basic sense to auction that rice off 16 months ago,” Harish Rao asked.