Hyderabad, August 13: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has taken a firm stance against rice millers who have failed to meet the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) targets. On Wednesday, he directed officials to expedite the recovery of outstanding dues from these millers.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the government supports millers who operate with integrity, but he warned that those attempting to evade payments will face strict consequences.
In a review meeting with Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Chief Minister accused the previous government of mishandling the collection of dues from millers, resulting in a backlog of thousands of crores. He criticized opposition parties for blaming the current government for the rising dues owed by rice millers.
When officials provided updates on the progress of dues recovery, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy insisted that every grain of rice must be accounted for. He instructed officials to create specific guidelines for the recovery process and report to the cabinet sub-committee.
Following the sub-committee’s review, the state government will make an appropriate decision. He announced that rice allocated to defaulting millers will now be distributed to women’s groups, who will also be tasked with milling.
Considering the challenges of stockpiling rice each season, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed officials to develop an immediate action plan. A pilot project will be launched to create silo bags in high-yield districts such as Nalgonda, Suryapet, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, and Kamareddy.
He also announced that 50 to 100 acres of land will be allocated for these silo bag facilities in each assembly constituency, managed by self-help groups (SHGs). A meeting will be convened with the ministers of revenue, civil supplies, and women’s welfare to discuss the construction of these facilities.
The Chief Minister suggested exploring the use of German tents for creating large platforms under the VGB-Ramji scheme to store rice in available spaces. Officials were also instructed to identify and rent private warehouses, function halls, old cinema halls, and other sheds at the mandal and village levels for rice storage.
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