CM puts onus on DCs to prevent black marketing

Hyderabad, Aug 23 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today held District Collectors responsible for black marketing of essential commodities, including rice.

In an interaction through video conference with District Collectors, he expressed concern over increasing price of rice in the open market and asked them to step up raids and follow due legal procedures to check black marketing.

''There is no question of allowing traders to sell rice at more than Rs 14 per kg in the case of common variety, Rs 16 per kg for fine variety and Rs 18 per kg for super fine rice,'' he said.

Taking note of instances of misuse of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), Dr Reddy urged them to take stringent action against those responsible.

He also asked them to highlight the best practices so that they could be adopted by other districts as well.

Referring to housing, he asked them to ensure completion of about six lakh houses under the INDIRAMMA scheme before March 2009, taking the total number of houses constructed during the Congress regime to at least 37 lakh.

He also directed them to release Rs 35,000 to the beneficiaries for completion of walls so that they could get bank loans for completion of roof without any problem.

He noted with satisfaction that Rs 200 crore worth bank linkages had been provided to members of women Self Help Groups (SHG) in the urban areas so far as against the targetted Rs 800 crore for this year.

The Chief Minister asked the District Collectors to construct hostels for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever there was demand.

He also directed them to sensitise the rural people on the Rajiv Gandhi Aarogyasree health insurance scheme, emergency ambuance service and mobile health clinics so that the community could avail of them.

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