Supply of foodgrains under PDS hit in Tumkur

By Our Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR, JULY 16. The stand off among the Food and Civil Supplies and the Tumkur District Fair Price Shop Owners' Association has stalled the supply of foodgrains to ration card holders in Tumkur District.

Mr. M.Z.Qureshi, Deputy Director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department here told THE HINDU that the FCI was insisting that it lift 30 per cent of the rice stocks, which the State Government had rejected on account of poor quality.

He said the poor quality rice was procured by the Centre under relaxed specifications (URS) from Punjab, which was rejected by the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, recently. The Union Minister of State for Civil Supplies, Mr. Srinivasa Prasad, during his subsequent visit here had assured the public that he would dispose of the URS stocks of rice by public auction.

However, the FCI godowns in the outskirts of Tumkur still retained stocks of this variety of rice. The State Government was under pressure to lift the URS stocks, at least, on a 30:70 ratio every month. Mr. Qureshi had issued a statement about the standoff between the Centre and the State and asked people to bear with him for some more time.

He said stocks of wheat, sugar and other foodgrain items had been allotted, but, wholesale agents and shop owners had not lifted them, as they would have to incur extra transport and handling charges once again on rice. People in 10 taluks were virtually deprived of the benefit of the public distribution system for the last two months.

Mr. R.Kamaraj, President of the Tumkur District Fair Price Shop Owners' Association, alleged that the Karnataka State Financial Corporation (KSFC) and the taluk agricultural produce cooperative societies (TAPCMSs), who were the wholesale agents for the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, had not lifted the stock of foodgrains. "They do not have sufficient funds to do so. Shops have remitted the amounts in advance before the 15th of every month, but, the funds have been misappropriated," he said.

According to him there was utter confusion in the handling of the public distribution system and people blamed only the shop owners. He accused the Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies of not trying to resolve the issue.

Mr. Qureshi denied that the KSFC faced a funds problem funds, and said the KSFC had already remitted Rs. 2 crores to the FCI towards the cost of the rice, and the funds were held up with the FCI for want of a decision by the State Government regarding the variety of rice to be lifted.

He said wholesale agents and shop owners together "dodged" lifting rice stocks and issue of other items (wheat and sugar) for their own reason.

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