

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government will make onions available at a subsidised price of Rs 32 a kg across the State from this week, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar said on Thursday.
The Minister was speaking after participating in the ‘Ashirwad Ka Diya’ programme organised to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Along with Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohan, he lit lamps at the residence of Nookaraju, a daily-wage worker, at Lakshmipathi Nagar and conveyed birthday greetings to PM Modi.
Speaking on the occasion, Manohar said the government was taking steps to provide essential commodities to people at affordable prices in view of the rise in their prices. He said the proposal would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and arrangements would be made to supply onions at the reduced price.
He added that the government was also planning to provide palm oil and red gram at subsidised prices shortly, with support from the Centre.
Manohar said the Civil Supplies Department was depositing payments to farmers who supplied paddy into their bank accounts within 24 hours. He said the proportion of broken rice in the public distribution system had been reduced from around 25% earlier to 10% across the State.