Perni Nani Faces Major Setback as Government Prepares Criminal Action

The Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly preparing to initiate criminal proceedings against YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former minister Perni Nani over allegations of missing ration rice from a government-rented warehouse he operates. A criminal case has been registered following reports that approximately ₹90 lakh worth of rice went missing from the warehouse leased by the State Civil Supplies Department.

Manjeer Jilani, Managing Director of the Civil Supplies Corporation, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Official directives have also been issued for the recovery of ₹1.80 crore, including a fine, from Perni Nani, along with the initiation of criminal proceedings.

The warehouse, located in Machilipatnam, has a storage capacity of 40,000 metric tonnes and was rented by the Civil Supplies Department during the previous government’s tenure. Rice stored there allegedly went missing under unclear circumstances.

In a letter sent last month to District Joint Collector Geetanjali Sharma, Perni Nani acknowledged that approximately 3,200 bags of rice had been accidentally shifted from the warehouse. He expressed willingness to compensate for the shortage. However, a subsequent inspection conducted on November 28-29 revealed that 3,700 bags of rice, amounting to 185 tonnes, were unaccounted for.

Following this discovery, officials wrote to the Civil Supplies Corporation's Managing Director for guidance on the next steps. Based on government estimates, with rice priced at ₹48,500 per tonne, the missing stock is valued at ₹89.72 lakh. The Managing Director directed officials to impose double the amount as a fine and register criminal cases against those responsible. Authorities further announced that the warehouse would be blacklisted.