Date:04/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100451160300.htm

Tamil Nadu

“People have a role in preventing smuggling of rice”

Staff Reporter

Subsidised grocery item scheme launched at Tirupattur

“Tamil Nadu has set an example to other State”
“PDS concept has almost achieved all its objectives”

TIRUPATTUR: Though the State government has introduced several welfare schemes such as the rice and subsidised pulses scheme, people should play a proactive role in stopping smuggling of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice to other States to ensure socio-economic development, Vellore Collector Dharmendra Paratap Yadav has said.

He was speaking at a function held to inaugurate the subsidised grocery item scheme in the district at Vijaya Saravana Mahal here on Friday.

Mr. Yadav said the government had announced the one-kg-rice-for-Re.1 scheme through fair price shops to ration card-holders.

Though the scheme was intended to benefit the downtrodden, some persons were smuggling subsidised rice to other States, which had to be stopped.

The State government had also announced a subsidy of Rs. 2,000 crore on food items. It had not only announced subsidy on rice and grocery items sold through the PDS but also ensured that the items supplied were of high quality, Mr. Yadav said.

Stating that Tamil Nadu was now in the forefront on all grounds, Mr. Yadav said the education system was good here when compared to other States. The health system was also fine. Quality medical services were being offered through Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and there were adequate number of doctors. Every Government Hospital had a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant for supplying good quality drinking water. Buy providing these facilities, Tamil Nadu had set an example to other States.

Tirupattur Sub-Division Sub-Collector Hanish Chaabra said the PDS concept was introduced after Independence.

The main objectives were to provide food security and ensure that farmers got a fair deal.

The PDS, to a large extent, had achieved its goals. But, the limitation was that PDS restricted itself to the supply of only four commodities such as rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene. The new scheme introduced by Tamil Nadu showed ways for diversification of commodities that could be sold through the PDS.

District Revenue Officer (DRO) Suganthi, Tirupattur MP D. Venugopal, Ranipet MLA R. Gandhi, Natrampalli MLA N.K.R. Suriya Kumar, Pernambut MLA A. Chinnasamy, Tirupattur Panchayat Union Chairman A. Annadurai, Tirupattur Municipality Chairperson Chockammal Tulasinathan and Tirupattur town DMK secretary S. Rajendran also spoke.