Uttam Kumar Reddy urges millers to complete supply of CMR paddy to FCI by Jan 31

HYDERABAD: Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N Uttam Kumar Reddy has urged all millers to complete the milling of custom-milled rice (CMR) paddy and submit rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by January 31.

The Minister held a video conference with all district collectors and FCI officials along with Santhi Kumari, Chief Secretary, and DS Chauhan, Civil Supplies Commissioner. The Minister warned that strict action would be taken against anyone dealing with the illegal trade of ration rice. He said that paddy procurement must be done smoothly and completed in the next few days.

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The Minister expressed concern over the inordinate delay in supply of CMR paddy to the FCI and reminded the district collectors that the Centre complained about the delay in paddy deliveries from Telangana.

“We were supposed to supply 7.83 lakh metric tonnes of Vanakalam rice and 35 lakh metric tonnes of Yasangi rice. We have to buckle up and get 42 lakh metric tonnes of rice in the coming days,” he said. He pointed out that the Civil Supplies Corporation took huge loans to procure paddy from the farmers and to repay the loans the the Telangana Government must speed up the supply of the rice to FCI.

“The Civil Supplies Corporation owes Rs 58,000 crore and incurred a loss of Rs 11,000 in the past decade. This led to an interest payment of Rs 3,000 which is an additional burden on the Government,” he said. He called for streamlining the process of milling and supplying the CMR paddy to the FCI. He asked the officials concerned to set daily targets and complete the supply.

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The Civil Supplies Minister also expressed concern over the low quality of the PDS rice distributed in the ration shops. “We have identified that the rice purchased at Rs 39 per kilo has been recycled or diverted to other purposes,” he said. Similarly, there were complaints of the low weight of rice bags supplied to the ration shops, he observed and warned that stern action would be taken against the people involved in stealing the rice meant for the poor.