2500 tonnes of ration rice smuggled in three months; Civil Supplies Vigilance wing with findings

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A powerful racket involved in the smuggling of ration rice is active in the state. The Civil Supplies Vigilance wing suspects that 2,500 tonnes of ration rice were diverted to the black market over the past three months.

Most of the rice was diverted from Civil Supplies' NFSA (National Food Security Act) godowns. This includes the 'special rice' supplied through ration shops at a rate of Rs 26 per kilogram.

In the retail market, varieties like Surekha and Jaya rice sell for Rs 55–60 per kilogram. It was discovered that between 200 and 400 kilograms of rice were being siphoned off at the godowns—with the help of staff—while shipments were being dispatched to ration shops.

The smuggling is carried out through collusion between certain godown employees and the transport contractors responsible for delivering the rice to the shops. The diverted rice is transported to mills in Tamil Nadu, where it is repackaged and returned to the market as branded rice. The withdrawal of fortified rice from ration shops has played into the hands of the fraudsters. Previously, when fortified rice was being distributed, it was possible to identify ration rice in the open market through inspection, regardless of how its appearance had been altered.

No CCTV cameras capable of capturing clear footage have been installed at ration godowns. Although the government decided to implement GPS in all lorries transporting ration rice from godowns to ration shops, the plan did not materialise. Only a few vehicles are equipped with GPS, and there is no verification to check if the systems are actually functional.