300 bags of rice seized at Kadapa

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Hyderabad: Large-scale diversion of rice being supplied under the Rs 2-akg scheme continued unabated with the authorities on Monday seizing 300 bags which were being smuggled from chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s home district of Kadapa to the neighbouring states. Coupled with this, the authorities were also flooded with complaints from beneficiaries about the poor quality of the rice from various places, including Mogaltur in West Godavbari district, the native village of megastar Chiranjeevi. Realizing the negative political fallout of such incidents, the chief minister on Monday held a review meeting with the minister and officials of the civil supplies department wherein it was decided that border check posts would be strengthened and inter-district diversion of the rice would be more strictly monitored. Among the other steps, it was decided that from July 1, the rice would be supplied to the white card holders from the first of every month instead of the fifth. According to officials, so far, 23 cases under the IPC and other acts were booked against the traders in the last two months. It was also decided that the scheme to supply palm oil and red gram at subsidised prices through ration shops would be launched on July 14 by Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. A meeting with the gas agencies and traders will also be held to review the supply of LPG gas and kerosene in the state. The civil supplies department has also decided to investigate complaints that though the government has asked the agencies not to charge more than Rs 304.40 a cylinder, the delivery boys of all agencies in the twin cities were demanding Rs 310 per cylinder.