PNS|Hyderabad
Telangana Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar met at the Civil Supplies Bhavan in Hyderabad on Friday to discuss the phased transfer of assets of the United Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Department and Corporation to Telangana.
At the heart of the discussion was the decision to permit the Telangana Civil Supplies Corporation to use half of the Civil Supplies Bhavan currently allotted to the AP Civil Supplies Corporation, which is lying unused.
Principal Secretaries DS Chauhan (Telangana) and Saurabh Gaur (Andhra Pradesh), along with other senior officials from both the Telugu states, were present at the meeting.
“The Civil Supplies Bhavan has served as the joint headquarters since bifurcation. From June, it will come fully under the control of the Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation,” said Uttam.
He added that other assets belonging to the undivided Civil Supplies Corporation, located within Telangana, would also be transferred gradually.
Addressing the media, Uttam said that detailed discussions were held between the Civil Supplies Departments and Corporations of both states regarding the asset transfer.
“We requested the transfer of all residual properties of the undivided Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies setup located in Telangana. Andhra Pradesh has been very positive, and I thank them for their cooperation,” he said.
The two ministers also discussed strengthening cooperation between the Telugu states on issues like rice exports. Telangana has begun rice exports to the Philippines through the Kakinada Port, with Andhra Pradesh extending critical support in port operations, storage infrastructure, and export procedures. Andhra Pradesh also offered its Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam ports for future consignments.
“This is not a matter of jurisdiction, but of mutual growth. Andhra Pradesh is happy to extend support for Telangana’s rice exports. Our ports are open to facilitate this,” said Nandela Manohar.
The ministers confirmed that all formalities and logistical processes for exports would be jointly streamlined.
Another key concern addressed during the discussions was the illegal interstate movement of PDS rice. The two states agreed to initiate joint surveillance, enable real-time data exchange, and align procedures to eliminate diversion and corruption.
The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments also agreed to study and adopt each other’s best practices in civil supplies operations. Telangana has already implemented PDF-linked ration card systems, Aadhaar integration, and real-time tracking of food grain movement, practices which Andhra Pradesh is now exploring for adoption.
The ministers addressed pricing and quality issues in PDS rice. They acknowledged that the price of fortified rice in both states currently ranges between ?43 and ?47 per quintal and agreed to work with agriculture departments to promote varieties that are more consumer-friendly and can be produced efficiently.
