The Hindu : PDS rice offtake increases, but stocks comfortable

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 15, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

PDS rice offtake increases, but stocks comfortable

By S. Vydhianathan

Chennai March 14. There has been a steady increase in rice offtake under the pubic distribution system in the State and now it is of the order of about 1.7 lakh tonnes.

The offtake, which was about 1.5 lakh tonnes till a few months, has gone up, thanks to the good quality being supplied to cardholders and the increase in the open market price.

However, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, agency in charge of the PDS stocks, is confident of managing the increased offtake. The heavy stocks procured till two years ago during the previous regime, have been helping the Corporation manage the distribution system without lifting rice, under the above the poverty line (APL) category, from the Central pool. Till two years ago, the Corporation procured heavily from farmers in the delta districts and the total stock with it exceeded 20 lakh tonnes.

Now the Corporation has a stock of 20,000 tonnes of rice. Even after liquidating its own stock, the TNCSC can well manage with the below the poverty line allotment from the central pool (BPL). Now the Centre allots about 1.8 lakh tonnes to the State under various BPL categories, including 1.46 lakh tonnes at Rs 5.65 a kg, and another 25,000 tonnes and 8000 tonnes under the mid-day meals scheme at Rs 3 a kg. This stock, officials say, is more than sufficient to manage the situation without lifting the APL quota from the Central pool. As the Centre has sufficient stocks, there will be no scarcity.

Referring to the increase in the open market price, official sources said that normally, during this period, there would be a marginal fall in the price with a heavy flow of harvested samba from different parts of the State. But owing to continued failure of three or four crops, the State had to depend on arrivals from other States. Thanks to the single food zone policy of the Centre, the State was getting heavy stocks even from Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgargh, which had also checked the increase in the open market price.

However, the Government was watching the situation and would step in if there was any steep increase in the price.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States