FCI grants Hill Transport Subsidy to Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar, Aug 14 (UNI) The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has decided to provisionally release Hill Transport Subsidy(HTS) under Public Distribution System(PDS) for Arunachal Pradesh for the period between April and July this year.

Official sources here today informed the HTS would be paid at the rate of Rs 2.25 per quintal per km, including trans-shipment and head-load for the actual quantity of food grains lifted and transported to the respective distribution centers(PDCs) from the base depots of FCI.

The decision is in conformity to Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu's announcement that PDS would be streamlined to make essential commodities available to the poor in the remote areas.

''The final settlement of HTS claims of the state government from April 2007 onwards would be done in accordance with the other terms and conditions. However, the state government would file claims for provisional HTS payments within three months,'' sources added.

''The process for transportation of food grains to the new FCI base-depots would be processed at Itanagar instead of Guwahati to avoid possibility of hijacking of tenders by anti-socials in Asom,'' sources informed.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development had approved the release of 5,187 tonnes of rice during 2007-08 to Arunachal Pradesh under Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana(SGRY) through the FCI depots following pleas of the chief minister, sources confirmed.

UNI