HYDERBAD: Ration cardholders in the State are likely to hereafter get Andhra rice and not Punjab rice from fair price shops.

The Government had been procuring rice from Punjab, a surplus state, to meet its commitments under public distribution system. By and large, people do not relish Punjab rice, as it tastes different from Andhra rice.

With a bumper paddy crop this year, the Government is planning to supply Andhra rice under PDS. Civil Supplies Commissioner Bhanwarlal has said that a record six lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured at the beginning of the purchase season against 3 lakh tonnes during the same period last year. Also, two lakh tonnes of levy rice has been procured against 60,000 tonnes by this time last year.

Speaking to reporters after Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy reviewed Civil Supplies matters here on Wednesday, Mr. Bhanwarlal said the distribution of ration cards to eligible families in both urban and rural areas had been completed. However, some Designated Photography Locations would continue in a few areas for another fortnight to issue cards to families that were left out.

Data on website

The data culled from the ration cards would be hosted on website and integrated with the health insurance scheme being launched by the Government from Sankranti.

The Commissioner said the steps taken by the Government were such that farmers selling paddy, maize and pulses were getting a higher price than MSP. They were getting an additional price of Rs. 100 a quintal for paddy, Rs 150 for maize and double the MSP for pulses.

He advised farmers in coastal Andhra whose crops were damaged in the floods, not to worry as the Government was ready to purchase all their produce. The RBI had sanctioned Rs. 521 crores for this purpose, while the norms of Fair Average Quality were relaxed.

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