Hyderabad, March 23 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alleged a scam in the export of rice to the Philippines and demanded a House Committee to investigate the matter. However, Civil Supplies Minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy denied the allegation and stated that the Telangana government had entered into a historic agreement with the Philippine government.
BRS Deputy Leader in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, T. Harish Rao, made the allegation in the House during Question Hour.
He sought details on the export of rice to the Philippines and the appointment of Premchand Garg as an advisor. The BRS leader said that Garg was facing cases filed by central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Alleging a scam in the rice export, Harish Rao demanded that the Speaker constitute a House Committee to investigate the "scam."
Harish Rao wanted clarification from the government on why it did not invite tenders for the rice export. He also asked why a private company was awarded the contract on a nomination basis.
The BRS wanted the government to clarify whether 7,500 tonnes of rice was still lying at the Kakinada port. They also wanted Civil Supplies Minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, to clarify whether the government was paying warehouse and handling charges at the port.
Harish Rao alleged that the state had suffered losses due to the alleged scam in rice export and demanded a House Committee to investigate the allegations.
N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, however, denied the allegations and stated that there was no connection between the rice export and Premchand Garg.
The BRS staged a protest, alleging that the minister had failed to provide a satisfactory response.
Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Telangana had become a global rice market and the state government had entered into an agreement with the Philippine government to export rice from Telangana, eliminating the role of middlemen.
He stated that this was a historic agreement and that there was no scam involved. He assured that the state government would purchase the last grains from farmers at the minimum support price during the Rabi season.
He also stated that the state government had allocated Rs. 3,500 crore to provide a bonus of Rs. 500 to farmers on fine rice.
