Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 6 (ANI): Telangana BJP State President N Ramchander Rao on Thursday alleged serious irregularities in paddy procurement in the state and demanded an immediate and comprehensive probe into the alleged diversion of government-procured paddy worth nearly Rs 500 crore, involving around 90,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks.

According to the Telangana BJP Public Relations Officer (PRO), Rao has written a letter to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, urging him to accord the issue the highest priority and initiate an impartial investigation into the matter. He also called upon the Chief Minister to take all necessary measures to ensure transparency in the procurement process, fix accountability and safeguard the interests of farmers across the state. BJP state chief said the paddy procurement system is a crucial safeguard for the livelihoods of farmers and an essential component of the public distribution framework. Any diversion or misuse of government stocks not only causes significant financial loss to the public exchequer but also erodes the confidence of farmers who depend on a transparent, efficient and accountable procurement mechanism.

Referring to media reports, Rao said the magnitude of the alleged irregularities has caused serious concern among farmers and the general public. He further stated in his letter that thousands of tonnes of paddy entrusted to rice mills for custom milling were reportedly neither found in stock nor returned to the government in the form of rice, causing substantial losses to the state exchequer. In his letter, the BJP State President urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, transparent and expeditious manner. He demanded that everyone found responsible, irrespective of their position or influence, be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law. Rao also called upon the state government to put in place stronger safeguards and accountability mechanisms across every stage of the process, including procurement, transportation, storage and custom milling, to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. (ANI)