Centre will ensure supply of quality rice to TN : Pawar

Chennai, Aug 15 (UNI) The Centre will ensure availability of good quality rice to Tamil Nadu for the scheme to distribute rice at Rs two a kg, launched by the state government soon after coming to power in May, Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said today.

Talking to newspersons after calling on Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, Mr Pawar said the state government had taken the responsibility to supply subsidised rice, while it is the Centre's responsibility to make available quality rice for the scheme.

''We will not only ensure availability of rice being distributed by the state government through Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) at Rs two per kg, but ensure quality rice,'' he said, and agreed to make available the 'Andhra rice' preferred by the people of Tamil Nadu.

'My colleagues Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja requested that the Centre should supply rice grown in Andhra Pradesh for distribution under PDS in Tamil Nadu and I conceded the demand,' Mr Pawar said.

He also agreed to consider Tamil Nadu's request to supply 5,000 tonnes of wheat for distribution under the PDS though the country is facing problems on the wheat front.

Asked if it was possible to introduce the cheap rice scheme nation-wide, as Mr Karunanidhi, in his Independence Day address, had said 'demands are being raised in the other states throughout India to implement the rice for two rupees per kg scheme,' Mr Pawar said it was a policy matter and had to be decided by the Government of India.

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