CM agrees to release ₹299 crore for procurement of parboiled rice to coastal people under PDS: Kateel

MANGALURU

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday agreed to distribute parboiled rice derived from locally grown paddy to coastal Karnataka under the public distribution system, according to Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament.

The Chief Minister agreed to purchase the paddy grown in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada districts under the market intervention scheme of the government by paying minimum support price. The parboiled rice made from the same paddy will later be distributed to the coastal people in fair price shops as per Kerala model, a statement from Mr. Kateel said.

Mr. Bommai agreed to release ₹299.33 crore for the procurement of paddy and the distribution of rice, he said.

The Chief Minister agreed to the demand after a delegation led by Mr. Kateel met him in Bengaluru and apprised him of the matter as people in coastal Karnataka used parboiled rice.

Presently, only 50 % of the rice being distributed in the coastal belt amounts to parboiled rice. It is lifted from the warehouse of the Food Corporation of India. The rice from FCI will not be lifted under the new initiative. Instead the government itself will procure the locally grown paddy by paying MSP and it will be converted as parboiled rice for the distribution. The move will benefit 6,21,804 ration card holders in the coastal belt, he said.

Mr. Kateel said that the ration card holders have complained that the parboiled rice presently being distributed is not up to the quality. Hence the latest move.

He said that he thanked the Chief Minister for agreeing to release the funds required for the move.