Hans News Service Hyderabad

TheTelangana State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (TGSCSCL) on Wednesday made it clear that the sale of surplus coarse rice was a policy decision taken in the public interest and carried out with complete transparency through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) e-auction platform.

In a statement, the corporation stated that approximately 1.40 lakh metric tonnes of coarse rice became surplus after the State government decided to distribute fine rice to beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The decision to sell the stock was taken to prevent quality deterioration during prolonged storage, address warehouse shortages, and avoid additional maintenance costs.

According to the corporation, the auction process was conducted through open competition on the GeM platform, leaving no scope for nominations, preferential treatment, or secret agreements. Equal opportunity was provided to all eligible bidders across the country.

The Corporation said the auction fetched Rs 21,700 per tonne, higher than the reserve price of Rs 21,600 per tonne approved by the State Cabinet.

Importantly, it clarified that not a single grain of rice has been released from government warehouses so far. No release orders have been issued, and no stock has been moved. While successful bidders have completed agreement formalities and deposited security amounts, the process of document verification is still underway.

The corporation maintained that all pricing decisions, auction conditions, approvals, and procedures were implemented strictly in accordance with State Cabinet-approved policies, making the entire process legal, transparent, and fully compliant with audit requirements.