The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) Employees’ Union (INTUC) has urged the state government and TNCSC management not to grant approval for mobile paddy shopping centers as the move would create new irregularities, cause loss to the state exchequer and jeopardize the quality of rice supplied under the public distribution system.
Ka. Ilavari, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Employees Union, made the appeal in a press statement on Friday. Mr Ilavari warned that the mobile buying units – supported by some volunteer groups and farmers’ organizations – could repeat the “various irregularities” that previously led to the suspension of such centers and make it difficult to guarantee market-ready sorted rice for public distribution.
“In the past, mobile shopping malls created conditions where out-of-state paddy was diverted to clandestine markets and genuine purchases from farmers were disrupted,” Mr Ilavari said.
He recalled that procurement through the TNCSC and its predecessors had been the accepted mechanism for the purchase of paddy from farmers for the past five decades. He said the union – which led strong protests during the previous AIADMK administration when the mobile malls were operating – managed to get the centers suspended after talks with the government.
Pointing to the unusually high yields of the current season and the large volume of paddy crops purchased so far, Mr. Ilavari warned that the reintroduction of mobile units now will open the door to further abuse.
Published – 24 October 2025 21:19 IST
