Manohar Demands Action Against Aurobindo Realty for PDS Rice Smuggling
Vijayawada: Civil supplies, food, and consumer affairs minister Nadendla Manohar has called for immediate action, including filing cases against Aurobindo Realty, for allegedly turning Kakinada Port into a hub for PDS rice smuggling under the YSRC government. Manohar, claimed the company threatened Kakinada Seaports chairman and managing director (CMD) K.V. Rao and forcibly acquired a 41.12 per cent stake in Kakinada Seaports Limited in 2021.
Addressing the media in Vijayawada on Sunday, Manohar accused rice smugglers, in collusion with former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, of establishing a network spanning from Chittoor to Srikakulam. He alleged that they collected PDS rice from beneficiaries and smuggled it abroad via Gangavaram, Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam, and Kakinada ports.
Manohar provided figures, claiming that smugglers illegally exported 2.2 lakh metric tonnes of rice from Gangavaram, 23.51 lakh metric tonnes from Krishnapatnam, 38.02 lakh metric tonnes from Visakhapatnam, and a staggering 1.31 crore metric tonnes worth approximately Rs 48,537 crore from Kakinada Seaport alone.
He further alleged that the previous government’s introduction of a door-delivery scheme enabled smugglers to collect PDS rice and smuggle it illegally. Despite government spending Rs 12,800 crore to supply rice to 1.43 crore PDS cardholders, smugglers bought rice at `10 per kg and exported it illegally. Manohar stressed that the YSRC government’s involvement in this scheme undermined national security.
