GUNTUR: Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar announced that strict measures are in place to curb illegal Public Distribution System (PDS) rice smuggling in the state. Conducting surprise inspections on Thursday, the minister visited seven rice mills across Guntur and Palnadu districts, where authorities seized nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of illegally stocked PDS rice, and a criminal case was promptly registered.
At Lakshmi Ganapathi Rice Mill in Perecherla, officials found mobile dispensing units (MDUs) improperly stationed, leading the minister to order the immediate seizure of these vehicles. Additionally, at Venkateswara Rice Mill, workers were caught burning tags on bags of Custom Milled Rice (CMR) to evade detection. Manohar directed officials to detain the workers and management involved for further questioning.
During the visit, the minister urged joint collectors, along with metrology and civil supplies departments, to inspect every rice bag thoroughly and enforce regulations rigorously. His inspections also extended to Sitaramanjaneya Sai, Ganesh Rice Mill Flour Mill, Sri Devi Traders, Rao Rice Mill Flour Mill, and Subrahmanyeswara Rice Mill in Sattenapalli, where he reviewed records and issued additional instructions.
The minister reminded the public to responsibly utilize the PDS rice supplied by both the Central and State governments for the benefit of the underprivileged, stressing that any misuse would be met with stringent action.
