Hyderabad, November 02: With supermarkets and even neighbourhood kirana shops selling rice at astronomical prices, it is the Self-Help Groups (SHGs), which are coming to the rescue of the common man. The SHGs are selling superfine rice at the rate Rs 20 per kilo.
As of now, 15 SHGs operating from different parts of the Twin Cities are selling rice at this rate since the last 15 days. Officials of the Civil Supplies Department supply 10 quintals of rice per day to each SHG. To the surprise the department, SHGs are not only providing the service but are also making good business.
Some of the women involved in the SHGs told Expresso that the subsidised super fine rice has been selling well. “Every day, people have been forming long queues to buy the Rs 20 per-kilo rice from our counters. Residents in the locality got to know about the sale through word-of-mouth as we did not do any marketing,” Sri Bhavani Mahila Mandal Secretary Anita Anand told Expresso.
But surprisingly, none of the existing SHGs have been any credit facility. Presently, the women are pooling their own resources to start a unit. However, some of the existing SHGs have started the units by taking credit under Pavala Vaddi scheme.
“The profitability of our business can improve if Civil Supplies Department allows us to sell other commodities like dal, oil and soaps. That will make our business more sustainable in the long run. We have made our request to the Chief Rationing Officer (CRO),” Anita Anand added.
As of now, SHGs do business with a margin of Re 0.40 paise as they are supplied rice at Rs 19.60 paise.
Recently, super markets like Reliance Fresh and few others withdrew from selling rice at Rs 20, because of low profits. Officials said discussions are under-way to permit 30 more SHGs in the Twin Cites in the coming days.
Chief Rationing Officer (CRO) L S Lokesh Kumar said the department did not intend to provide credit facility as the sale of rice at a regulated price is a temporary measure until rice prices in the open market come down.
“Besides we cannot take the responsibility for the repayment of loans taken by SHGs. So, for any self-financing SHG, we are prepared to extend the rice. The response from SHGs has been extremely encouraging,” Lokesh Kumar said.
Interested citizens can visit www.crohyd.com to find out the centres where the subsidised rice is being sold.
–Agencies