Despite the cut in subsidy, 18,64,600 family cardholders in the State would continue to get sugar through PDS at ₹ 13.50, Food Minister R. Kamaraj said here on Saturday.
He told reporters here that the State required approximately 33,850 tonnes sugar every month for supply through the PDS.
Sugar procured at a cost of ₹ 45 per kg would be sold at ₹ 25 per kg for the remaining 1.75 crore cardholders, entailing an additional expenditure of ₹ 836 crore to the exchequer, he said.
Reacting to the criticism of former Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for the hike in price of sugar supplied in the PDS across the State, Mr. Kamaraj pointed out that the DMK was part of the United Progressive Alliance that had drafted and enacted the Food Safety and Standards Act, which resulted in the subsidy levels for the sugar from the Central pool quota getting reduced drastically.
Speaking in Kumbakonam, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leaer M.H. Jawahirullah urged the State government to revisit the decision to hike price of PDS sugar. He said all sections of society would be affected by the move. The move was proof again that the Central and State governments were “anti-people” and backed only the corporate houses for political gains, Mr. Jawahirullah said.
