Andhra Pradesh wants Centre to pay for food scheme

Hyderabad: In a bid to reduce its financial burden, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to write to the Centre saying it is ready to implement the Food Security Act, but the Centre should bear the entire cost of the subsidised rice scheme. Recently the Centre introduced the Food Security Act, through which rice will be supplied to the targeted people at Rs 1 per kilo.

At present, the AP government is implementing the subsidised rice scheme and supplying rice at Rs 1 a kilo on white ration cards. For this the state government has an allotment of Rs 2,030 crore in its Budget. Finance minister Yanamala Rama Krishnudu on Tuesday held a review meeting of the civil supplies  department as part of the Budget preparations.

Speaking to the media the minister said that the state government is supplying subsidized rice to 4.5 crore families in the state out of 5.4 crore families. He said that the state has decided to write to the Centre to bear the entire cost of the subsidized rice scheme to enable the government to implement the Food Security Act.

In AP, at present there are around 80 lakh ration cards and the government is supplying subsidized rice on around 70 lakh white ration cards. But the Centre will supply the rice on the basis of Aadhar cards.

According to Centre in the state subsidized rice will be given to 50 per cent of white ration card holders. Then the state government has to supply the rice to some people on the ration cards and the Centre will supply the rice to some people on Aadhar cards.

Meanwhile, the AP government will write to the Centre to supply palm oil for poor people. The Centre has not been supplying palm oil to the state for the last two years in view of increasing prices of palm oil in the international market. The state government used to supply palm oil to poor people through fair price shops.

People are demanding that the government supply palm oil through ration cards. Finance Minister Yanamala said that they will change the name of the Amma Hastahm scheme and make changes in some essential commodities. He said in place of salt, tamerind and red chilli powder will be added along with some other items, according to the demand of the public. If necessary the price will be increased.

Former Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy had launched the Amma Hastahm scheme to supply nine essential commodities in a package for Rs 185 to white card holders. In Andhra Pradesh there are 22,000 fair price shops and there are around 3,000 dealer vacancies. The government has decided to fill the vacant slots soon.