Govt. to expand Rs. 2 a kg rice scheme

Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran said here on Tuesday that the Government proposed to extend the scheme for supplying rice at Rs. 2 a kg.

Addressing a press conference here, the Minister said that more people would be brought under the purview of the scheme.

The Government also planned to supply sugar at one of the lowest prices in the country through imports. Currently, sugar was being sold at Rs. 37 a kg through the outlets of State Civil Supplies Corporation.

Mr. Divakaran said that the Corporation had been supplying 13 essential commodities at steady prices for long. Some steps were planned to reduce the prices further.

He said that 113 fair price hotels were now functioning in the State. They offered meals for Rs. 10 to Rs. 15. The Corporation supplied rice at lower prices to the hotels to make that possible. The target was

the establishment of ten hotels in every district. He noted that the Central government’s scheme for supply of rice at Rs. 3 a kg was yet to materialise. Its proposals for replacing the public distribution system with coupons would not guarantee availability of food grains. “It only guarantees coupons.”