Hyderabad: Telangana’s Civil Supplies Department has fixed maximum retail prices (MRPs) for popular rice varieties and launched a statewide crackdown on traders accused of price manipulation. The enforcement drive, conducted between October 29 and November 5, 2026, targeted artificial scarcity, illegal trading and consumer exploitation. Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Principal Secretary M. Stephen Raveendra, IPS, directed the coordinated action by Enforcement Task Force and Legal Metrology officials.
The department has capped retail prices at ₹66 per kg for BPT/KNM rice, ₹74 for RNR/Telangana Sona and ₹79 for HMT/JSR varieties. Millers and traders must prominently print these MRPs on all 26-kg packaged rice bags. The measure aims to improve transparency and protect consumers from arbitrary price increases.
During the week-long operation, Enforcement Task Force teams conducted 1,141 surprise inspections at rice mills, wholesale establishments and retail outlets. Officials registered 55 cases and 35 criminal cases against entities found violating regulations. Meanwhile, the Legal Metrology Department carried out 1,545 inspections and booked 280 cases for violations involving consumer protection norms.
Inspections uncover weight fraud and PDS rice hoarding
Enforcement teams detected several practices allegedly used to defraud consumers. Some traders labelled 25-kg rice bags as 26-kg packages, effectively charging customers for rice they did not receive. Officials also found original manufacturer prices concealed beneath inflated price stickers.
Other violations included the alleged hoarding of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice and business operations without GST or FSSAI licences. These practices were among the irregularities identified during the statewide inspections.
The department is preparing to invoke the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against habitual offenders involved in repeated PDS rice hoarding or price manipulation. Such individuals could also face prosecution under the Essential Commodities Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), with potential imprisonment.
The Civil Supplies Department said the enforcement drive would continue beyond the one-week operation. It plans sustained surveillance across Telangana to curb market manipulation, ensure compliance with prescribed prices and safeguard consumers.
