Hyderabad: A Vigilance and Enforcement department probe has uncovered an organised scam in the Telangana State public distribution system, whereby rice meant for the poor in the state is being smuggled out to West Africa via Kakinada port.
In the most-recent case, three truck loads of PDS rice in Mahabubabad district came under suspicion. Investigations showed that the rice is polished in rice mills in and around Kakinada port and is then exported to West African countries.
Conakry Port in the Republic of Guinea, Monrovia Port in Liberia, Abidjan port in the Ivory Coast and Doula Port in Cameroon are some of the ultimate destinations of the PDS rice.
The TS commercial department has been issuing way bills to the PDS rice because it is not concerned with ascertaining the origin of the rice. The customs department in Kakinada says they can’t identify it as PDS rice because it is polished to look like fine rice and the packaging bags are changed.
