Paddy worth Rs.9.68 crore missing from Nagarkurnool rice mill

Nagarkurnool paddy missing, Rs.9.68 crore paddy, Nagarkurnool rice mill, custom milling irregularities, Civil Supplies Telangana, Vigilance and Enforcement, Essential Commodities Act, paddy diversion case, Telangana rice mills, Kharif paddy procurement

Nagarkurnool: Paddy worth approximately Rs.9.68 crore, allotted by the government for custom milling, has gone missing from a parboiled rice mill on the outskirts of Nagarkurnool town, following which a case has been registered against 13 persons.

Civil Supplies and Vigilance & Enforcement officials conducted surprise inspections at the mill on Wednesday and found a significant discrepancy between the stock recorded in the books and the quantity physically available.

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Preliminary investigations indicated that the paddy had been diverted and sold in the open market for personal gain, officials said.

Case registered against 13 persons

Following a complaint lodged by Civil Supplies officials, the police registered a case against 13 persons, including the mill owners, operators and others associated with the mill, at Nagarkurnool Police Station under the Essential Commodities Act.

The accused have been taken into custody and are being questioned, police said.

During the Kharif season, paddy procured from farmers was allocated to rice mills across the district for custom milling. Under the arrangement, millers are required to process the paddy into rice and return the stipulated quantity to the government.

However, inspections at the mill revealed that a substantial quantity of the allotted paddy was unaccounted for, prompting officials to suspect illegal diversion.

Vigilance & Enforcement officials said surprise inspections would continue at other rice mills in the district. They warned that stringent action would be taken against those found involved in irregularities.