Officials inspect fair price shop over sale of ‘plastic’ rice

Following complaints of the sale China-imported ‘plastic’ rice, Food and Civil Supplies Department officials have seized rice samples from a fair price shops in Keelara in Mandya district.

Officials of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies inspected a fair price shop at Keelara in the taluk on Tuesday evening following complaints that China-imported ‘plastic’ rice was being sold to the card holders.

Chandru, a resident of Keelara, had raised the issue during the Grama Sabha on Tuesday morning. According to Mr. Chandru and a few others, plastic rice was being sold in Keelara through the public distribution system from the fair price shop.

Subsequently, K.S. Ramesh, president, Keelara Grama Panchayat, and others, had requested the department to check the rice.

Not plastic rice

“It was not plastic rice,” says Kumuda Sharath, Deputy Director, Department of Food and Civil Supplies. Speaking to The Hindu here, she said that the officials had visited the shop, collected samples and also interacted with the card holders to learn about the quality of the rice sold. Food inspectors have drawn samples from the fair price shop. The samples will be sent to the government laboratory to check the quality of the rice, she said. “We will also request the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to check the samples,” Ms. Sharath said.

The collected samples will be sent to the govt. laboratory for checking