Telangana: TG State staring at Rs 510 cr loss as paddy rots in mills

In an unfortunate development, paddy, which is mostly grown in this district of former Mahbubnagar area, worth Rs 510 crore is left unattended at millers; it is yet to be returned to the government. During the 2022–2023 Rabi season, under the previous government, 222,437.461 metric tonnes of auction paddy were allocated to 111 millers across the district. Out of this, only 5,586.904 mt were returned to the government. However, 216,850.557 mt still need to be returned to the government.

Unfortunately, some millers have sold this paddy. Only about 20% millers have stored the paddy in their mills or warehouses. So far, the government has not issued any clear directions on what to do with this auction paddy. If this situation continues, the remaining 50% is also likely to rot.

There is growing concern that this auction paddymight go to waste like water poured into sand. Officials from the Civil Supplies department have reportedly not issued any instructions regarding what should be done with this paddy. Instead, the Civil Supplies and Revenue officials are preoccupied with the newly harvested paddy.

Even though the State Commissioner is aware that 216,850.557 mt are still pending from millers. Notably, similar situations occurred before 2022–23, where spoiled paddy was auctioned and sold to liquor factories at cheap rates. This leads to a massive loss to the government. To avoid such wastage, the Civil Supplies officials should focus on recovering the previously allocated auction paddy from millers rather than concentrating solely on the newly harvested crop. There is an urgent need to collect the pending paddy from all 111 millers.

This article has been republished from The Hans India.