Andhra Pradesh   

Free rice offer irks YSR

HYDERABAD: Fearing that the free rice offer by several Congress leaders across the State may boomerang on the party and dilute the Rs. 2-a-kg-rice scheme launched on Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy issued a stern warning to the party cadres and the fair price shop dealers.

Irked by the media reports that a few Ministers besides Congress MLAs and other leaders were offering rice free of cost, Dr. Reddy spoke to Civil Supplies Commissioner Poonam Malakondaiah.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s office said that Dr. Reddy was upset that the offer made by the leaders would send a wrong signal to the people and embarrass the party.

He entrusted the task of monitoring the programme to his joint secretary Madireddi Pratap and take note of such incidents.

The Civil Supplies Commissioner reportedly explained to him that there was every scope for the government-sponsored scheme turning out to be a programme that would be benefit individual leaders.

She was said to have reasoned that such a move could dilute the spirit of the scheme.

Meanwhile, a report submitted to the Chief Minister by the Planning Department said that on the first day of the implementation of the scheme, 99.8 per cent of the 39,822 fair price shops distributed the subsidised rice to the card holders.

Out of 3-lakh metric tonnes rice needed for all white card holders during the month, 48,000 metric tonne rice was delivered on the first day. However, some fair price shops could not deliver the rice on the inaugural day.

In Tanuku Assembly constituency in West Godavari district, rice was distributed in 54 ration shops against 78. In Kothagudem constituency, 36 ration shops could not supply their quota.

As regards the political participation, 168 out of the 185 Congress MLAs attended the programmes, besides 17 TDP MLAs and 24 legislators of other parties.

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