FCI halts rice and wheat sales to private traders, ends Open Market Sales Scheme

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Food Corporation of India (FCI) has stopped selling rice and wheat to private traders. The Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS), which was introduced to control price inflation in the public market, has been abandoned.

The same rice that was given to the ration shops was sold to these traders also. The sale was in FCI sealed bags. Ration rice and this rice in the market could not be differentiated. Under the guise of this, there was widespread manipulation of ration grains. The police registered many cases, but in most of them, the culprits escaped. The reason was that it could not be legally proved.

After the suspension of OMSS, civil supplies can now take action if rice or wheat similar to ration grain is found in the public market. 10 to 300 tonnes of food grains were auctioned to private traders. Later it was reduced to 100 tonnes.