VIJAYAWADA: The State government will distribute millets like Ragulu (finger millet) and Jonnalu (sorghum) to ration card holders in Rayalaseema districts under a pilot project, Minister for Civil Supplies K Venkata Nageswara Rao said.
During a study conducted with the help of volunteers in the State, the ration card holders wanted distribution of millets instead of rice under the Public Distribution System. Based on the results of the pilot project, millets will be distributed to all the ration card holders in the State in a phased manner, he said.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, the Civil Supplies Minister said the government had taken measures to procure paddy directly from farmers without the involvement of middlemen and rice millers.
It will provide an additional benefit of Rs 8,000 to farmers on an average.
“We have procured 26 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers this year at the MSP. The farmers will get payment within 21 days of procurement. About 90% of farmers have got payment for the paddy procured by the government,” he highlighted.
Admitting that the total arrears to the millers were `900 crore, he promised to clear them by the end of the current financial year. The government has taken a decision to pay the insurance amount for all the mobile dispensing units (MDUs). The amount paid by the pilots was already returned to them. As many as 9,260 MDUs are in operation in the State and no vehicle has broken down. It has been decided to procure the discoloured paddy till March 15. An inquiry is going on into anomalies in supply of red gram, the minister added.