BANGALORE: The State Government has permitted the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to purchase three lakh tonnes of levy rice from mills at Rs. 990 a tonne as fixed by the Centre for 2005-06.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies H.S. Mahadeva Prasad said the FCI started purchase of levy rice on November 1 and it will continue this till December-end. The FCI will purchase rice from 500 mills in Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Shimoga and Hassan districts. The Government could use rice for distribution under the public distribution system after getting the Union Government's permission. It has written to the Centre in this regard, he said.

Rice supplied by the Centre is of inferior quality, Mr. Prasad said. Mills have been allowed to collect paddy from farmers at Rs. 570 a tonne as fixed by the Government under the minimum support price scheme, he said. Asked about surprise checks being conducted by the department to maintain quality of fuel supplied at petrol bunks, he said district-level task forces, headed by deputy commissioners, have been constituted. Though the department has filed complaints about inferior quality of petrol supplied by a few bunks, oil companies have not initiated action. The department has been providing reports to companies on regular basis and demanding action against erring petrol bunks, Mr. Prasad said.

He said the department has increased the quantity of kerosene supplied to boats of fishermen from 110 litres a month to 200 litres in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttar Kannada districts from November 1. The price of kerosene is Rs. 9.50 a litre. There are about 4,000 small boats owned by fishermen in the State.

The Minister said the number of LPG stations to supply gas cylinders for autorickshaws will be increased from 19 to 23 in Bangalore by this year-end.

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