Andhra to sell good quality rice at govt ration shops: Jagan

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government will ensure that good quality rice is sold through its public distribution system across the state, said Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy in the Assembly on Tuesday. The government will spend an additional Rs 1,400 crore for this, he said.

Intervening during the Question Hour, the CM said that a pilot project, started in Srikakulam district for supplying superior rice through PDS will now be extended to all districts from April.

"We treat our manifesto as a holy book and along with it, we are implementing schemes which we did not even mention. Distribution of quality rice through PDS is one such measure," said the CM, stressing that the quality of rice currently being supplied has improved many times.

Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Buganna Rajendranath Reddy said the earlier TDP government had allocated Rs 3,000 crore for the supply of rice in 2018-19, but spent only Rs 200 crore. "On the other hand, the present government has allocated Rs 4,134 crore for the supply of rice which was of high quality," said Reddy.

The minister accused the TDP of pushing the Civil Supplies Corporation (CSS) to accumulate losses of about Rs 20,000 crore. It had borrowed Rs 13,500 crore on behalf of the CSS, but used the money for other purposes, the minister.

The present government has to shell out Rs 10,500 crore to CSS. The TDP government had incurred a debt of Rs 1,050 crore for its well-publicised schemes of Chandranna Sankranti Kanuka and Ramzan Tohfa for the commodities supplied, said the finance minister. "This is how the previous government had destroyed the Civil Supplies Corporation and moreover it had also utilised the funds given by the Central government. The loan of Rs 7,500 crore taken by the previous government through the corporation during last year was utilised for its schemes."