Delivery deadline over, 9% milled rice still with millers in Haryana
The deadline to deliver custom-milled rice (CMR) to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has elapsed, yet 3.65 MT (9%) stock is still with the millers of the state.
Under the custom milling policy of the state government, rice millers are supposed to deliver the complete CMR to the FCI by April-end.
The data collected by The Tribune revealed that the rice millers had to deliver 67% rice of the total allotted paddy to them. This season, they have to deliver 39.81 MT of rice. However, they have delivered 36.16 MT so far, which is 91% of the total rice.
Karnal district has performed poorly and delivered only 74% of rice, while Fatehabad recorded 98% delivery followed by Panipat (97%), Ambala (96%), Kaithal (95%), Kurukshetra (93%) and Yamunanagar (92%), the data added.
The Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association demanded that authorities of the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department extend the deadline to August 31.
The millers cited no specification of the quantity of fortified rice kernels (FRK), delay in its delivery along with the shortage of labour.
“The delivery of non-FRK rice was stopped on December 17, 2022, which was again started in January 2023 due to delay in the approval of FRK tenders. The lab reports of FRK samples also created hurdles in the delivery of the rice in different districts. The supply of the FRK rice was started in April but due to the onset of the wheat procurement season, the delivery of rice got hampered,” said Hans Raj Singhal, president, Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association.
“It should be cleared in the CMR policy as to how much FRK has to be delivered by a miller,” he demanded.
Vinod Goel, senior vice-president of the association, said they had delivered around 91% of rice to the FCI and had demanded time for the remaining stock. “The state government gives time till April 30, but the Centre’s deadline is May-end. We are demanding a relaxation till August-end,” he added.
One of the officials of a procurement agency, however, said the millers make excuses every year. Several cases of bogus paddy procurement are detected during the season as some millers are habitual of procuring the PDS rice from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states and get it adjusted with the connivance of officials. During the investigation and physical verification last season, the team members had found a shortage of stock in mills as well as huge discrepancies in the procurement process, including issuance of bogus gate passes, in various grain markets.
Now the government agencies — Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, Hafed and Haryana State Warehousing Corporation — have started the process to serve notices to the millers, who have yet to deliver the rice.
Mukul Kumar, Director, Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, said officials of the procurement agencies had been asked to expedite the delivery of rice, else further steps would be initiated.
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