Telangana caps retail rice prices at Rs 66–79 per kg

The Civil Supplies Department has capped retail prices of major rice varieties at Rs 66–79 per kg and warned traders against overcharging. It is conducting inspections, advising retailers to procure stocks directly from millers and considering the PD Act against habitual offenders.

Hyderabad: Amid complaints of rising rice prices in the retail market, the Civil Supplies Department has warned of stringent action against middlemen and traders selling rice above the prescribed maximum retail price (MRP).

The department is enforcing retail price ceilings on major rice varieties to protect consumers. The maximum retail price of BPT and KNM rice has been fixed at Rs 66 per kg, while premium RNR and Telangana Sona varieties cannot be sold above Rs 74 per kg. The prices of popular HMT and JSR varieties have been capped at Rs 79 per kg.

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The department is conducting continuous field inspections to prevent consumer exploitation through artificial shortages allegedly created by unscrupulous middlemen.

Responding to reports of shopkeepers facing stock shortages, officials cautioned retailers against believing unverified claims of scarcity, which could be used by middlemen to push up prices.

The department advised retailers not to panic or increase prices due to such pressure. Those facing stock shortages can bypass wholesalers and traders by approaching their respective District Civil Supplies Officers (DCSOs), submitting stock indents and procuring rice directly from millers.

The government also warned of legal action against those involved in illegal hoarding, diverting stocks to the black market and artificially inflating prices.

The department is preparing to invoke the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against habitual offenders.

Inspection teams have already detected instances of traders cheating consumers through weight manipulation, including labelling 25-kg bags as 26-kg bags, and MRP violations involving the concealment of original prices with fake, higher-priced tags.