Telangana ration dealers are facing delayed payments and unfulfilled government commitments, BRS leader T Harish Rao alleged at a statewide meeting in Siddipet district, urging the Congress government to hold talks with dealers and address their pending demands.
Speaking at Pragnapur on Tuesday, Rao accused the state government of neglecting ration dealers and failing to implement promises made in the Congress election manifesto. He said dealers had been seeking the immediate fulfilment of commitments relating to monthly payments, commissions and the proposed conversion of ration shops into mini-supermarkets.
According to Rao, the manifesto had promised a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000, a commission of ₹300 per quintal and the conversion of ration shops into mini-supermarkets. He alleged that none of these commitments had been implemented even three years after the Congress came to power.
Rao also referred to reported remarks by Jadcherla MLA Anirudh Reddy regarding pending bills. The BRS leader questioned whether people had to risk their lives to secure government dues, saying the issue had reached a point at which even a ruling-party legislator had expressed frustration.
The dispute affects the functioning of Telangana’s public distribution system, in which ration dealers serve as the local delivery point for foodgrain supplied to eligible households. Rao said dealers were being asked to bear losses linked to grain spoilage and shortages, while also facing financial pressure because of delayed payments.
He separately criticised the civil supplies department’s handling of foodgrain stocks. Rao claimed that nearly one lakh metric tonnes of coarse rice were lying unused in warehouses and distribution points, with additional stocks remaining in ration shops. He alleged that rice worth around ₹600 crore had deteriorated because of prolonged storage and infestation by insects and rodents.
Rao said timely disposal of the stock could have generated revenue that might have supported higher commissions and honorariums for dealers. These figures and claims were made by the BRS leader at the meeting and were not independently established in the report.
The former minister also alleged that the Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation had accumulated liabilities nearing ₹1 lakh crore because of state policies and delayed fund releases. The report did not provide a response from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy or the department to the allegations.
Rao demanded that the chief minister and the civil supplies minister convene discussions with representatives of ration dealers and implement the promised measures. He said the BRS would continue to raise the issue in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council until the dealers’ concerns were addressed.
