The Rajasthan Government on Sunday launched an “atta-daal scheme” to supply wheat flour and pulses at affordable prices to the ration card holders at the seven divisional headquarters in the State through dairy booths and cooperative consumer stores.
According to the Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Babulal Nagar here, the scheme will help check price rise and stop the diversion of food items under the public distribution system, besides preventing black-marketing of essential commodities.
Each ration card holder can buy 10 kg of wheat flour and 4 kg of chana daal (gram pulses) in a month at regulated prices under the scheme. Mr. Nagar said these items would be available at 861 dairy booths and 42 cooperative consumer stores at the divisional headquarters.
While the wheat flour will be supplied at the rate of Rs.9 per kg, chana daal will cost Rs.28 for one kg. The fair price shops will sell the two commodities in the areas inhabited by the Scheduled Castes and Tribes and minority communities where the number of dairy booths is limited.
Mr. Nagar said the State Government had decided to import 5,000 tonnes of pulses under the scheme’s first phase and would try to supply edible oils – if their prices do not come down during the festive season ahead – as well as moong and urad daal to the ration card holders during the second phase.
For controlling the diversion of kerosene, the Food and Civil Supplies Department has decided to distribute it through rickshaw trolleys at the dairy booths.
The Minister said his department had given instructions to all District Collectors and District Supply Officers to take steps to prevent adulteration of sweets during the Diwali season. Officers of the Medical and Health Department will collect samples of sweets and other food items from shops on two days in a week to check adulteration.
