Congress plans to provide LPG cylinder at Rs 500 in 100 days: Uttam Kumar

Hyderabad: Minister for Civil Supplies Uttam Kumar Reddy said that there is a need for random checks by the department to ensure that the poor are being benefited from the public rice distribution scheme.

Speaking about the public distribution of rice and other essentials in a review meeting on Tuesday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the government will bring down the price of gas cylinders from Rs 1,150 to Rs 500 per cylinder within 100 days.

During the review meeting with senior officials of the civil supply department, the minister said that there is a need for random checks by the department to ensure that the benefits of public schemes such as the distribution of rice are reaching the poor and not anyone else.

“The financial situation of the state is being assessed. All the departments are showing a bad financial status and we are looking into it. The decision will be implemented in 100 days,” Uttam Kumar said.

1.8 metric tonnes of free rice

Under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), there are 1.8 metric tonnes of free rice to be given to those below the poverty line, said Uttam Kumar. “The rice is being given to people for free but are they using it? The cost to the government is Rs 39 per kg. If the rice is not being consumed by the poor, then the scheme of free rice is useless. There must be random checks carried out to see who is actually using this free scheme,” he told the officials.

Presently, under a Central government scheme, people get 5 kg of rice and the State government gives 1 kg of rice through a scheme that was managed under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. Uttam Kumar said, “We are going to increase the quantity of rice given to people under the public distribution system.”

A total of 2 crores 80 lakh beneficiaries in the state need quality rice for their consumption, he said and said that there is also a demand for new ration cards which will be discussed in detail before issuing new cards.

There is fear that there are sections which are misusing the free rice scheme. The officials were asked to identify them.

Loans and farmers

Uttam Kumar said that there are Rs 18,000 crores worth of paddy rice with the millers and the government needs to procure them by paying the farmers according to the market price.

“Why is there a delay?” Uttam Kumar asked the officials when informed that the procurement of rice from the millers for this year is yet to be done. The department is important as it directly deals with the farmers in the procurement of rice.

“The loans taken by the previous government for the department will be looked into in the next Cabinet meeting,” he said. He said that the department losses are showing at Rs 11,000 crores which is a cause of concern.