The hoax of plastic rice surrounds Odisha

Acting on a tip off towards the rice people are receiving under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) is mixed with plastic rice, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote a letter to Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal urging to investigate the issue and spread awareness among people of Odisha regarding fortified rice being distributed in the State.

In a wake up call Pradhan informed, the rice people are getting presently is different from the rice they used to get in PDS Shop earlier. It is alleged that some of the rice kernels float when soaked in water and appears “very white” and “sticky” when cooked.

Giving importance to the beneficiaries Pradhan said Odisha is one of the major beneficiaries of the scheme with approx 3.25 crore people availing of food grains under the scheme. Most of the beneficiaries avail rice, as it is the staple diet of people in Odisha.