Minister for Irrigation, CAD, Food & Civil Supplies Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated that the Congress Government in Telangana would implement the promises of giving Gas gas cylinder for Rs 500 and a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for paddy, the two assurances among six guarantees given during elections, within 100 days of coming to power. He was addressing a press conference after holding a review meeting on the functioning of the Consumer Affairs, Food, and Civil Supplies Department at Civil Supplies Bhavan at Errum Manzil here on Tuesday.
Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasized the department›s crucial role in serving the state›s 2.9 crore population, particularly the underprivileged, through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other programs. It also handles the procurement of paddy from the farmers. He said that the department would play a crucial role in the implementation of two major guarantees given by the Congress party during elections. «We are committed to providing gas cylinders for Rs 500 and giving a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal of paddy within 100 days of power. I›ve conducted a detailed review of the functioning of the Civil Supplies Department to get an overview of how these two guarantees could be implemented efficiently,» he said.
With regard to the new ration cards, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that as of today, there are 89,98,546 Food Security cards in Telangana State, and nearly 11.02 lakh new applications are pending. Through PDS, a total of 6,47,479 cardholders are getting 6 kg of rice for free. However, he said of the 6 kg, five kg of rice are being provided by the Central Government under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, and the remaining 1 kg of rice is being provided by the State Government. He said nearly 11% of intended beneficiaries are not using their ration cards. Therefore, he said he would discuss the issue with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and the State Cabinet would decide on the issue of new ration cards.
Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that almost 90% of the rice being provided by the Centre and State for Rs 39.02 per kg was not edible. The beneficiaries are selling the poor-quality PDS rice to dealers, idly-dosa units, poultry farms, etc., for as little as Rs 5 per kg. Therefore, the very purpose of supplying free rice to the poor through PDS is not being achieved. He directed the Civil Supplies Department officials to conduct an in-depth study on the quality of rice being supplied to the ration cardholders. He emphasized improving the quality of PDS rice for the beneficiaries. «If the rice being given to the poor is not edible, then the entire purpose is lost,» he said.
The Minister also directed the officials to identify and rectify the lapses in the functioning of the corporation, especially in the management of IKP centres. He said that the procurement from farmers should be transparent and prompt while ensuring the immediate disbursal of money into their accounts.
Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the previous BRS government of ruining the Civil Supplies Corporation›s financial health.
He said that the BRS government never supported the corporation financially and prompted it to take loans from outside agencies while giving guarantees. Consequently, he said that the Civil Supplies Department today has outstanding debts of Rs Rs 52,067.03 crore, which is alarming. He said that the department lost Rs 3,645.25 crore only due to interest on these loans.