Hyderabad: Minister for civil supplies Etela Rajender on Wednesday directed officials to book criminal cases against rice millers indulging in recycling of ration rice meant for public distribution system and diverting the stock to the open market.
Stating that sale of subsidised rice by millers in the open market after recycling had come to the notice of the government, he directed civil supplies commissioner C.V. Anand, joint collectors and district civil supplies officers to ensure offenders are punished.
Mr Rajender reviewed the functioning of civil supplies department with officials here on Wednesday. The meeting felt that the existing laws were not enough to nail the irregularities in the management of fair price shops.
Taking a serious view on the subsidised rice reaching middlemen and traders instead of the needy poor, Mr Rajender directed the officials to register 6-A cases against those diverting the PDS rice, apart from booking criminal cases.
He said biometric system introduced in Hyderabad and RR districts on a pilot basis yielded good results in preventing diversion of PDS rice and directed the officials to extend the system to the entire state.
The minister praised Mr Anand for his efforts in recovering the customised milling rice stocks meant for PDS from rice millers within days of assuming charge as civil supplies commissioner.
The millers had owed 1.81 lakh tonnes worth Rs 482 crore to government till August 21. Mr Anand who assumed charge on August 21 made the millers fall in line by taking stringent steps due to which they returned 76,500 tonnes worth Rs 203 crore within 10 working days.
He has set a deadline of September 30 to return the balance stocks. The minister asked officials to make arrangements to purchase 30 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers this season against 15 lakh tonnes last year. The government expects paddy production to double due to good rains over last year.
