PDS Rice Polished, Sold as Branded Rice in Karimnagar
The entire rice would be shifted to rice mills wherein it will be polished and packed in colourful bags of different brands.
Karimnagar: Distribution of fine variety rice through fair price shops has become a boon for illegal operators.
It is being sold to the people as banded rice by packing in colourful bags after polishing in rice mills.
Unable to differentiate the quality, the people are purchasing it by believing it as branded rice.
This illegal trade is being continued in Karimnagar district.
In order to make quality food available to the poor, the state government has launched the distribution of fine variety rice to white ration card holders through PDS shops across the state.
Though the prices of all branded rice had come down with the launch of the scheme, illegal operators have started utilising it for their benefit and to make money.
Civil supplies department sources said illegal traders are collecting rice from the people by deploying agents. Per kg, `15 is being paid to the people.
Operators are procuring rice from agents by paying `20 to `22.
Rice is also being collected from ration dealers, who are accumulating rice by paying an amount to cardholders instead of rice.
Dealers, who are paying `12 to `15 to cardholders, are collecting `17 to `20 from illegal operators.
The entire rice would be shifted to rice mills wherein it will be polished and packed in colourful bags of different brands.
Depending on the name of the brand, `5,500 to `9,000 is being charged to customers per quintal rice.
Jai Sreeram, Kurnool No.1 rice, HMT, Tomato gold, Kisaan, Annapurna, Raja gold, Double house and other brands are available in the market.
Recently, Taskforce police seized 306.88 quintal of PDS rice in Hanuman Industries located in Padmanagar on the outskirts of Karimnagar town.
Besides seizing rice, a case was also registered on its owner Thodupunuri Karunakar.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a private employee, Lanka Shankar said that it was not possible to notice the difference between rice since all varieties were well polished and attractive.
Moreover, they were packed in colourful bags.
All of them were purchasing without knowing that PDS rice is being sold by polishing and packing in colourful bags, he said
District supplies officer G. Narsinga Rao said that they were registering FIRs on millers as well as ration dealers if anybody was involved in the diversion of PDS rice.
In this year, two cases were registered against dealers.
When asked about Hanuman industries, DSO informed that it was the default mill which had not returned custom milling rice (CMR) to the government for the year 2024-25.
