In view of the shortfall of 4 lakh tonnes of custom milling rice (CMR), the State Government has decided to initiate stern action against the rice millers.Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Pratap Keshari Deb said he has directed the district Collectors to raid the rice mills in their districts.
Admitting that Government has failed to collect cent percent CMR from the millers every year, he said the Government used to collect the CMR either by seizing them from the mills or collecting penalty from the millers.
This year, the Government has decided to exclude the millers from paddy procurement who have failed to return the CMR by December 31 last.
The Government incurs a loss of around `12 crore every year due to the callousness of the millers, but now these erring millers would be taken to task by confiscating their deposited money and filing cases against them, Deb said.
Sources in the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department said that around 1,100 millers procure paddy from farmers on behalf of the Government every year and return the CMR to the Government by December 31. However, some millers do not return the CMR as they either sell the rice to other parties or hoard them to sell at a higher rate later.