HYDERABAD: Hours before it announced the decision to collect custom milled rice from Telangana, the Central government on Wednesday informed that the State government had failed to rein in defaulting rice millers and distribute the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) foodgrains in the State forcing the Central government to stop further rice receipts in the Central pool.
The sources said that Telangana government did not act upon the observations made by Central team during physical verification of paddy at rice mills. The FCI on March 31, communicated a list of defaulter millers where shortages had been noticed, to the State government to take strict action, as a total of 4,53,896 bags were found to be short at 40 mills.
Again on May 21, some more observations were communicated to the State government, including shortage of 1,37,872 bags noticed at 63 mills -- 12 mills of KMS 2020-21 (Rabi) and 51 mills of KMS 2021-22 (Kharif). In 593 mills -- 101 mills of KMS 2020-21 (Rabi) and 492 mills of KMS 2021-22 (Kharif), the paddy was not stored in countable position, due to which physical verification of paddy stocks could not be completed.
The Central government sources pointed out that the Telangana government also failed to act on its own assurance. “The Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Ex Officio Secretary of Telangana government in a letter on October 4, 2021 had assured that to overcome the impediments experienced during Physical Verification of paddy/rice during KMS 2020-21, State would ensure that the stocks are always kept in a countable position along with proper book-keeping and Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for the same will be followed,” the sources pointed out. However, till date no concrete strict action had been taken by the State government against defaulter millers where shortages have been noticed, the sources said.