Rice millers urged the State Government immediately to pay transportation charges for paddy procurement at a hiked rate as existing rate is abnormally low. Abnormal lower rates fixed for different incidentals for procurement of paddy and collection of custom milled rice have posed a serious problem to the State govt. While the State Government is going ahead with the paddy procurement programme in a big way, the transportation charge on paddy has been fixed by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution at Rs 4.75 per quintal. This rate is fixed for bringing paddy from purchase centres to the mill premises for the Kharif marketing season (KMS) 2017-18.