PDS rice diversion goes on unabated in Mancherial
Diversion of rice grains meant for the public distribution system (PDS) is continuing unabated in Mancherial district even as officials book cases against culprits, besides evoking the Preventive Detention Act against habitual offenders.
Mancherial: Diversion of rice grains meant for the public distribution system (PDS) is continuing unabated in Mancherial district even as officials book cases against culprits, besides evoking the Preventive Detention Act against habitual offenders. The menace is affecting objectives of the food security scheme by not allowing beneficiaries from economically weak communities to get the grains with some of the accused being dealers of fair price shops.
Civil Supplies officials said 930 cases were registered, while 19,562 quintals of grains and 385 vehicles were seized from October 1 2016 to June 30 2024. A total of 125 fair shops were seized for diversion of PDS rice in the last eight years. Police and Civil Supplies officials register cases against the smugglers when they seize grains in a vehicle following a tip. “However, the officials are not showing interest in establishing the offences of the culprits before a court. The delay in proving the guilt of the offenders has become a boon to the culprits who tend to continue to commit the crime,” a source said.
Modus operandi
When it comes to modus operandi, gangs consisting men and women operated in NTR Nagar in Mancherial, Mandamarri, Bellampalli, Hajipur, and Thandur mandals of the district gather the rice from beneficiaries of the system. They then shift the grains using auto-rickshaws to nearby rice mills in order to recycle the rice.
According to official sources, the recycled rice was being diverted to a notorious receiver in Sironcha Taluq centre in Maharashtra by vans and lorries at night. The receiver allegedly bribes some officials to allow the gangs to transport the grains every month.
Sources said the grains are purchased from beneficiaries for Rs 12 a kilogram, while the receiver pays Rs 22 per kilogram. Members of gangs earn Rs 1,000 per quintal. On an average, somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 metric tonnes of rice is being diverted to the neighbouring state a month. The outlay of the smuggling of the grains is assessed to be Rs 20 crore per annum, officials said.
When asked, Additional Collector (Revenue) S Motilal said efforts were being taken to prevent the diversion of the rice grains. He said the menace had slowed down in the last two years. Stern action was being initiated against the dealers of fair price shops. Steps were being taken to expedite investigations into the cases of diversion booked so far, he stated.
FOR INFOGRAPHIC
No of fair price shops: 423
Total ration card holders: 2,19,161
Eligible units in the cards: 6,38,524
Food Security card holders: 2,03,590
Rice grains given per month: 5,91,157 kilograms
AFSC card holders: 15,412
Eligible units in the cards: 47,207
Rice grains given per month: 5,39,420 kgs
AAP card holders: 160
Rice grains given per month: 1,590 kgs
