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Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has directed the authorities to clamp down on the illegal sale of the government's Tk 10 per kg rice allocated for the poor during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
A letter has been sent to all deputy commissioners and regional controllers of food in this regard, the food ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The special open market sale or OMS rice was launched by the government last week for the poor who are left jobless due to the nationwide shutdown to limit the spread of the virus.
According to a bdnews24.com report, the price of the OMS rice has been reduced to Tk 10 per kg, from Tk 30, considering the current circumstances.
Under the programme, the staple is being sold on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 3pm and each consumer with a valid NID card can buy up to 5.0 kg of rice once a week.
“According to reports in newspapers and the digital media, some people are selling the OMS rice in the black market, which is undermining the government’s initiative,” the minister said in the letter.
He highlighted several cases of people being detained with OMS rice in different parts of the country and instructed authorities to take strong action against them.