Andhra Pradesh to sell rice, dal in Rythu Bazars at low prices
VIJAYAWADA: Food and civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar on Thursday announced that the state government has set up 284 special counters in Rythu Bazars to sell rice and toor dal at lower prices than the market in Andhra Pradesh.
He disclosed that these counters will soon start sugar and millets too at low prices.
The minister, accompanied by local MLA Gadde Rammohan, civil supplies commissioner Siddarth Jain and several senior officials, arrived at the Rythu Bazar at APIIC Colony here on Thursday.
He inaugurated the special counters, where toor dal is being sold for ₹160 per kg. Steamed BPT rice is available at ₹49 a kg and raw BPT rice is being sold at ₹48 a kg at these counters.
Later, Nadendla Manohar told media persons that on orders of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, they are making efforts to ensure availability of essential commodities at affordable price to common people by holding talks with various stakeholders, like rice millers and wholesale / retail traders.
The minister pointed out that a kg of toor dal in open market is priced at ₹181 a kg. He said efforts will be made to supply toor dal at ₹160 a kg in super markets and wholesale / retail markets. He said that based on the information available with him, five IPS officers were involved in diversion of PDS rice to the black market and sounded confident of finding them out to take them to task.
