Hyderabad: The Civil Supplies Corporation (TSCSC) is manned by around 80 per cent outsourced and contract staff as there has been no major recruitment since 2011. The strength of the corporation’s permanent staff is around 250.
This when former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had denounced contractual appointments during the Telangana statehood movement. However, he did not change the trend in the 10 years of rule.
The TSCSC procured 137 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of foodgrains in 2022-23 as against far lesser quantities by Tamil Nadu (20 LMT paddy), Karnataka (2.4 LMT paddy and coarse grains) and Maharashtra (13 LMT paddy and coarse grains.
However, the Tamil Nadu corporation has 7,293 permanent staff while Karnataka and Maharashtra have around 1,400 and 4,500, respectively.
The sanctioned strength in the TSCSC has been retained at the 1995-96 level, though its activities have expanded from feeding the public distribution system to paddy procurement at an expanded level.
To add to the woes, the staff was further co-opted and sent to the newly created districts. Sources said that in around four to six districts, the units are being run only by employees on deputation.
Shortage of staff has forced the corporation to further rely on either retired FCI technical personnel or outsourced staff. Of the sanctioned 98 personnel engaged in quality verification in the entire state, 43 are outsourced, 10 are regulars and 45 are retired staff.
During a review meeting of the department, irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had raised concerns at the quality of paddy being procured.
“Untrained and retired employees from the FCI and civil supplies won’t have the commitment to ensure quality. Some of them are aged around 70 years. Recruiting new staff would have brought in youngsters, who would be dedicated and more productive as their career would be at stake,” said a senior official, who did not wish to be quoted.
Moreover, the official added that the savings made by the corporation by not recruiting permanent staff resulted in savings for the Union government. Explaining the rationale, he said, “The Centre pays around Rs 20 per quintal of paddy procured by the TSCSC and almost the same amount for distribution of rice to consumers. TSCSC distributes around 24 LMT of rice per annum. These activities bring in around Rs 320 crore to the corporation per annum. TSCSC spends around Rs 80 crore on salaries per year. The remaining amount goes back to the Centre. The Telangana government could have as well recruited staff and provided employment to the youth.”
- No recruitment since 2011; has less than 250 permanent employees
