Rs 75 Cr Rice Scam: Civil Supplies DSO, DM Suspended

By Narendra Pullor

Telangana state civil supplies corporation district manager Jagadish Kumar and district supply officer Chandra Prakash have been suspended for alleged irregularities in the custom milling rice process. In a quick response to the news item in Deccan Chronicle, the civil supplies corporation managing director Devendra Singh Chouhan issued the suspension orders on Thursday. In a huge scam, rice worth around `75 crore from the government agencies was misappropriated by seven rice millers in Nizamabad district.

The issue is related to the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 financial years. During this period, the rice mills of former BRS MLA Shakil Amer defaulted in the handing over of rice stocks to the government agencies. Notably, these agencies had procured paddy from farmers, after ensuring them minimum support price (MSP) and handed it over to the rice millers to convert and return them as rice. However, a few rice millers diverted the government’s rice to the black market and did not return the rice to the government.

It is estimated that rice worth around `75 crore was misappropriated in Nizamabad district alone. Medchal Malkajgiri DSO and DM-CS were appointed as in-charges for Nizamabad district. Meanwhile, additional collector Kiran Kumar inspected the civil supplies office on Friday. He directed the officials to be more careful and cautious in the custom milling of rice process in the district.

This article has been republished from The Deccan Chronicle.