The Government of Telangana has suggested the Centre to impose restrictions on the movement of paddy, pulses, edible oilseeds and oils at least during the drought years as an effective measure to control the prices of essential commodities.
It would prevent the available commodities going out of the State concerned, Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Eatala Rajender said at the Conference of Ministers of Food and Civil Supplies of States and Union Territories organised by the Union Food and Civil Supplies in Delhi on Friday.
He wanted the Centre to revive the scheme for supply of red gram with subsidy of Rs.10 per kg, which was in force till June 2012, by enhancing the subsidy to Rs. 20 per kg. Telangana would require 12,000 tonnes of red gram per month for public distribution system (PDS), he stated adding that the State Government was providing Rs. 130 crore subsidy per annum on red gram supply.
Similarly, he urged the Centre to continue supply of palmolien oil with Rs.20 per litre subsidy as was the practice till October 2013.
The Centre’s decision had burdened the State by Rs.156 crore per annum, he explained.
On the implementation of the National Food Security Act, the Minister said the State Government was yet to study the pros and cons of the implementation as it was in office only since a month. Against the eligibility for 1.9 crore people under the Act, the PDS was already covering 3.1 crore people with Re. 1-1-kg rice scheme.
Implementation of the Act would leave another 1.2 crore people uncovered.
The Minister urged the Centre to allot 67,000 tonnes of rice per month to for providing rice to the uncovered lot and asked the Centre to bear the expenditure of transport, handling and fair price shop dealers’ margin as the State was new.
The Minister further sought the Centre to retain the levy percentage at 75 as the proposal to reduce it to 25 pc was a cause for concern to the State.
