Pawar non-committal of Rs 2 a kg rice scheme countrywide

Chennai, Aug 15 (UNI) Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar today remained non-committal on the nation-wide launch of ''distribution of rice at Rs two a Kg,'' introduced by the Tamil Nadu government in the state.

Talking to newspersons after calling on Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, Mr Pawar said introducing the scheme throughout the country was a ''policy matter'' and has to be decided at the ''Government of India level.'' Mr Pawar was replying to a question on Mr Karunanidhi's remarks in his Indpendence day address that ''demands are being raised in the other states throughout India to implement the rice for Rs two per kg scheme,'' introduced by the state government.

As far as the implementation of the scheme in Tamil Nadu is concerned, Mr Pawar said the state government had taken the responsibility for subsidising the rice and the Union Government would ensure that the state faced no shortage in the supply of PDS rice from the Centre.

''Our responsibility is to ensure the state faced no shortage of rice for distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

We will also ensure that the rice being made available is good in quality,'' he said.

Mr Pawar said his cabinet colleagues Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja, who were present during his meeting with Mr Karunanidhi, requested him that the Centre, while supplying rice from the central pool, ensure that Tamil Nadu gets rice produced in Andhra Pradesh and the Centre would have no difficulty in this.

State Food Minister E V Velu had already made a request to him in this regard and ''we accept the demand, which is reasonable,'' Mr Paward said.

The Union Minister also agreed to concede Tamil Nadu government's request to supply 5,000 tonnes of wheat for PDS. ''The country was facing a problem on the wheat front, but still the request is reasonable and we will consider it,'' Mr Pawar said.

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