Hyderabad: Telangana civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the state government will distribute fine rice to ration card holders across Telangana through fair price shops from January. This was a promise by the Congress in its election manifesto.
Speaking at the state-level vigilance committee meeting held at Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Thursday, he reviewed various issues concerning his department.
Stressing the importance of delivering the best quality rice to consumers, he gave a stern warning to ration dealers against diverting rice meant for the public distribution system (PDS). He also instructed officials to supply wheat at subsidised prices wherever needed.
He said that the Telangana government was addressing the grievances of ration dealers, by providing them with incentives.
Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy who was also present at the meeting raised concerns about the poor quality and insufficient quantity of rice being supplied under the mid-day meal scheme in government schools.
Uttam Kumar directed officials to address those issues and ensure a significant improvement in the quality of rice supplied to schools, residential schools, hostels and Anganwadi centres. He also expressed concerns about the quality of fortified rice and instructed officials to carry out checks to ensure beneficiaries received the designated quantity and best quality.
The cabinet minister asked the officials to explore the possibility of increasing the number of Antyodaya cards in the state. Regarding the Mahalakshmi scheme, Uttam Kumar also directed the civil supplies officials to give wide publicity to the provision of gas cylinders at Rs 500.
Inquiring about the 1,629 vacancies in fair-price shops, he urged the officials to fill those positions promptly. Civil supplies commissioner DS Chauhan assured the minister that he would provide a detailed report on the issues raised in the meeting within 10 days.
