Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh): Rice millers in Balaghat do not care two hoots to the terms and conditions of agreements signed between them and the civil supplies department. Procurement of paddy at minimum support price (MSP) is going on in the district these days.

For customs milling, paddy is directly supplied to millers by the procurement centres. The civil supplies department has signed contracts with 101 rice millers for customs milling. Nearly 85, 596 MT of paddy were supplied to them for customs milling.

According to conditions of the agreements, there are provisions for storing paddy on the premises of rice millers. Also, there are provisions for a fixed amount of rice that is to be made out of paddy. Nevertheless, the rice millers, instead of taking the rice to their storehouses, they take the paddy supplied to them, to Maharashtra for black marketing.

Checking points were set up in Khairi and Mowad areas in the district to stop illegal sale of paddy, but most of the time, only two persons are seen at the check posts. Although several complaints were made to the district administration, the officials did not act against the guilty. The rice millers are not following the terms and conditions mentioned in the agreement.

On the other hand, those who are running fair price shops are making money by selling the items supplied to them in the black market.   Nevertheless, officers never visit the premises of the rice millers to see whether they are storing paddy, according to agreement.