CHENNAI: Food Minister R Kamaraj on Thursday announced that a total of 71.43 metric tonnes of Amma salt has been sold to public through Amudham departmental stores and PDS outlets till 31 March 2015.
Presenting the policy note in the Assembly during the discussion on demand for grants to his ministry, Kamaraj said three varieties — free flow iodised salt, double fortified salt and low sodium salt — supplied by the Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation are being sold for the benefit of common people in a bid to eradicate Iodine deficiency.
Further, the minister announced that effluent treatment plants would be set up at rice mills owned by Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation at Pattukottai in Thanjavur district and Thimmavaram in Kancheepuram dist at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
The State government had allocated Rs 5,300 crore towards food subsidy this year, Kamaraj said and added that essential commodities are being supplied to scheduled tribes through mobile ration shops at their door step. The government had opened 522 full time PDS outlets and 1062 PDS units in the last four years. A total of 12,64,825 new ration cards were issued in the last four years and 4,12,978 fake cards cancelled, he said and pointed out that 4,500 metric tonnes of rice were provided for 3,000 mosques across the State during Ramzan this year.
Accusing the previous DMK government of being complacent when the UPA-led government at the Centre reduced kerosene allocation for Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj said the DMK could have obtained the 65,140 kilo litre kerosene required for the State whereas the AIADMK government had been demanding the full allocation of kerosene ever since it came to power in 2011.
The government is providing Rs 70 per quintal and Rs 50 per quintal as incentive for other varieties of rice. This year 1,722 procurement centres were opened and 15.10 lakh metric tonnes procured.
Smuggling of rice had been controlled with a iron hand and 5,714 vehicles involved in the act were seized and 35,885 cases registered. So far, 25,756 persons involved in smuggling had been arrested, Kamaraj added.