PDS Rice Scam: 1300 rice bags missing from former minister Buggana Rajendranath's godowns

Kurnool: YSRC leaders misused the ration rice for vested interests.

After ration rice bags from the godown of former minister Perni Nani, there is one other such incident discovered by the officials at Bethamcherla in godowns belonging to former minister Buggana Rajendranath.

It is learnt that over 1,300 bags of ration rice had been missing from Rajendranath's godowns. Civil Supplies director Mahesh Naidu, Nandyal DM Raju Naik are inspecting the godowns.

Officials also found that the bags contained rice grown recently.

Further investigation revealed that before 2019, when the YSRC was voted to power, there were no civil supplies godowns in Bethacherla. PDS rice used to be supplied from Nandyal to Buggana's native constituency Dhone in Kurnool, Guntakallu and Nandyal.

After Buggana became the minister, two buffer godowns were constructed in Bethemcherla to supply PDS rice to Pyapili, Dhone, Banganapalle.

Of the two godowns, one was given on lease to the state warehousing corporation and the other to another private party.

When the SWC godown was inspected, it was found that 398 rice bags were missing.

When the officials tried to inspect the other godown, the private party was not available. However, it is being said that over 920 bags have gone missing from that godown. It is learnt that some officials are trying to shift rice bags from other place to the godown and compensate for the missing bags.

The cost of the missing 1,300 bags of rice is estimated to be Rs 50 lakh, considering the government has been buying paddy at Rs 43 per kg.