Even as the rumours about ‘plastic rice’ are going viral on social media, the State government has offered a prize of ₹50,000 to those who give a lead to such rice.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Civil Supplies Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao rubbished reports that plastic rice was being sold in the State. These reports were unfounded and baseless. The people need not panic as no such case had been reported so far. The government would give away the cash prize if any clue on the so-called plastic rice was provided, he said.
Officials and organisations like the Rice Millers Association had already clarified that there was no possibility of cooking with plastic rice. The misconceptions were that it would float, bounce and cost the same as regular rice continued to flood the social media.
The videos to distinguish between real rice and the so-called plastic variety also flooded it. Apparently, the misconceptions had forced the government to announce the prize.
Ramzan Tohfa
Referring to Ramzan Tohfa, Mr. Rao said the government would provide it to Muslim families from June 19 to 25. The government would incur an expenditure of ₹65.69 crore on it but was providing at ₹38.69 crore. Each family would get 5 kg wheat flour, 2 kg sugar, a kg vermicelli and 100 grams ghee in the kit. People could lodge complaint over 1100 if poor quality or less weight was found in the provisions supplied at the fair price shops, he said.
