HYDERABAD: In order to supply superfine rice to students of all welfare hostels, residential schools and for the midday meals scheme in other schools being run by the state government across the state, finance minister Etela Rajender on Sunday announced that the government had decided to procure 1.2 lakh metric tonnes rice from farmers, directly.
“As part of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to supply good quality Sanna Biyyam (superfine quality of rice) to residential schools and welfare hostels, it has been decided to procure the required rice directly from farmers. This is mutually beneficial to both farmers and government as this will eliminate middlemen,” Rajender said during a review meeting with the officials of civil supplies department that held here on Sunday.
He asked the representatives of Telangana Rice Millers’ Association, to help the government in procuring the 1.2 lakh MT of super fine variety of rice for the welfare hostels and schools. “The state government is firm on supplying Sanna Biyyam to the students. All these students should be provided with nutritious and good quality food. Supply of superfine rice should continue without interruption,” he said.
In fact, the government had recently given instructions to the education department on making the distribution and consumption of this superfine quality rice to schools and hostels more transparent. Commissioner of civil supplies department ordered the DEO and MEOs concerned in each district to take steps against those supplying Doddu Biyyam by polishing it in place of Sanna Biyyam.