The civil supplies department is planning to supply tur dal and sugar in pre-packed quantities to ensure that there are no complaints of underweight at ration shops, Food and Civil Supplies Minister P Venkataramanan said.
In an interaction with TNIE’s B Anbuselvan, the minister said the government is also working towards supplying rice in packets. Edited
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Last year, sugar and tur dal were sold in packets in a few ration shops in Salem. Will this be extended to all ration shops?
Yes. There are plans to sell all products, including tur dal, sugar, and rice, in packets. The work is under way.
Complaints of bribery of Rs 40 per gunny bag for procuring paddy from farmers at direct procurement centres have remained unaddressed for a long time.
Workers engaged in paddy procurement are supposed to receive `10 per bag from the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. It was brought to my notice that payments are getting delayed due to certain administrative issues. We have ordered officials to address the issue and release the payments at the earliest.
During the previous DMK regime, there were complaints of cartelisation among companies, with only select firms participating in the procurement of tur dal and cooking oil.
The e-tendering system will be open and transparent. Procurement of tur dal and cooking oil will continue to be carried out every three months. Participating companies must fulfil the tender norms, including supplying 95% of the products within five days from the date of approval, failing which penalties will be imposed.
Process for approving new ration cards has become stringent, and people allege difficulties in obtaining new cards.
New ration cards can be issued only to those who have a separate kitchen with cooking facilities. A large number of applications are being received from people residing in the same house, and such applications are eventually rejected.
Paddy spoilage at warehouses and DPCs continue every year. What steps will be taken to address this?
A: Our aim is to ensure zero wastage. A detailed plan will be prepared to prevent paddy spoilage.