Hyderabad, November 09: The Chief Minister’s Office on Tuesday claimed that the Centre was considering implementing the Rs 1-a-kg-rice scheme across the country.
Quoting ‘reliable sources, the CMO said that the scheme will be implemented all the over the country for the Below Poverty Line families as part of the Food Security Programme.
“It is learnt that AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi evinced keen interest in the Re.1-a-kg rice scheme and how it is being successfully implemented for such a major chunk of the population in Andhra Pradesh. He was of the opinion that the popular scheme will definitely attract the poor people and will be a boon to the poorest of the poor in the country in the days to come. The UPA Government also felt that the Re.1-a-kg rice scheme should be introduced all over the country as part of the Food Security Bill,” a CMO release said.
The Food Security Bill aims to benefit 75 per cent of the people in the rural areas and 50 per cent of people in the urban areas. For General Category the Bill proposes to provide food-grains at 50 per cent of the Minimum Support Price. Once the Food Security Bill is passed and implemented, the subsidy on the food-grain sector will double up from the present Rs.63,000 Crore to Rs.1,00,000 Crore. It is also estimated to spend Rs.2.5 lakh Crore towards Public Distribution System, Procurement and Agricultural Development.
Once the Union Cabinet approves the Bill, it will be introduced in the winter session of the Parliament. The Bill incorporates many a recommendations of the National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi. “The Bill asserts the Re.1-a-kg rice scheme launched by Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy,” the CMO said.
The Rs 1-a-kg rice scheme was launched on November 1 by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and will benefit 2.25 crore families in the State.
The Civil Supplies Department said that the off-take for scheme was highly encouraging. Since November 1 till date, the off-take is 45 per cent on an average. The off-take is far better in Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Nizamabad where it is around 66 per cent whereas it is 23 per cent in Hyderabad and other urban areas.
——-Agencies