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Kerala Kaumudi Online
Thursday, 06 February 2025 9.26 PM IST

One rupee rice from Tamil Nadu for sale in Kerala market for Rs 40; ration rice smuggling gangs active again

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ration-rice

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The smuggling of ration rice from Tamil Nadu to Kerala has resumed after a break. Most of the ration rice reaches Kerala after crossing the Tamil Nadu border in Palakkad, Kollam, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram districts. The middlemen in Kerala will buy the rice which is sold at ration shops in Tamil Nadu for one rupee through middlemen there.

Rice reaches the open market in two ways. The first method is to bring the ration rice to the bases in Tamil Nadu, polish it and send it across the border.

The second method is to bring the ration rice across the border to secret centres in Kerala, polish it and put it in different sacks. The mills in Pollachi grind the ration rice and package it to deliver it as rice powder.

A team of Tamil Nadu and Kerala police had conducted a joint border inspection during Onam to catch ration rice entering Kerala through Tamil Nadu. Tons of rice was caught at the Walayar and Aryankavu check posts. The rice smuggling gangs got active again after the joint inspection stopped.

In Tamil Nadu, a ration card holder is given up to 40 kg of rice every month at a rate of rupees one per kilogram. It is the black marketeers who are reaping lakhs from the scheme implemented by the Tamil Nadu government to provide food security. Middlemen in Tamil Nadu buy rice from the beneficiaries by paying Rs 15 to 17 per kg. A mill owner in Kerala can get that rice for an average of 25 rupees. When the rice is polished and brought to the market, it costs more than Rs.40.

FCI document to cross the border!

Lorries bringing rice from Tamil Nadu to Kerala state are not easily caught. Among these importers of rice are participants of FCI (Food Corporation of India) open market auctions. When they show the records of rice purchases at auction from there, the verifiers do not know which rice is on the lorry. Ration rice sacks everywhere in the country have FCI seals.

TAGS: CRIME, RATION, RICE, SMUGGLING
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