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Rice millers put Civil Supplies in tight spot
Unconscionable delay caused by millers in delivering Custom Milled Rice (CMR) during the last two and a half years has forced the Telangana State government to cough up Rs 1,200 crore additionally as interest to banks over ‘cash credit’.
NON-PAYMENT OF INTEREST TO BANKS
Hyderabad: Unconscionable delay caused by millers in delivering Custom Milled Rice (CMR) during the last two and a half years has forced the Telangana State government to cough up Rs 1,200 crore additionally as interest to banks over ‘cash credit’.
According to officials, the Civil Supplies Department, with a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore, avails itself of cash credit from banks. However, of late the department has failed to repay the amount in time due to inordinate delay by the millers, which sometimes drags on for years together.
“There were huge financial implications on the department and the government because of this reason. Since we were not able to repay the interest on the credit, it has jumped to Rs 1,200 crore in the new State. We were unable to collect what is due to the department,” a top official revealed.
The department recently recovered about 98 per cent of the Rs 482.5 crore due from the millers who owed CMR to the government during 2015-16. Five meetings between the officials and millers during the past two months yielded positive results, as most of them came to terms with the norms.
During a meeting on Wednesday, as many as 115 black-listed millers were asked to deliver the rice or pay up cash by specified dates. Officials claimed that Rs 134 crore worth CMR was not delivered to the government during the period 2010-11 to 2014-15. “We have been asking them to perform business like a businessman, but not like a greedy person who invites criminal action from the government,” the official added.
As per official records, millers of various districts ‘misappropriated’ Rs 149.96 crore, but paid only Rs 15.97 crore during the five years. Among these districts, Nalgonda district tops with Rs 51.612 crore dues, followed by Karimnagar with 22.64 crore. The department has also launched a special drive to recover from millers 5 crore jute gunny bags, worth Rs 203 crore, which had piled up during the last five years.
By Md Nizamuddin
