Fine Rice scheme from Ugadi

Under the scheme, each family member of a white ration card holder will receive 6 kg of fine rice. The scheme will cover 91.19 lakh white ration cards, including those un-der the National Food Security Act, Annapurna, and the Telangana government’s white ration card programme. Nearly 2.87 crore beneficiaries will receive fine rice every month

Hyderabad: Following the recent launch of the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme, the Telangana government is all set to roll out another major welfare initiative benefiting over two crore people.

On the auspicious occasion of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the 'Fine Rice Distribution Scheme' for all white ration card holders. The launch event will take place on March 30 at the renowned Mattapalli Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in the Huzurnagar Assembly constituency.

After attending the traditional ‘Panchanga Sravanam’ at the temple premises, the Chief Minister will distribute the scheme benefits to local beneficiaries. Regular distribution of fine rice from Fair Price Shops will commence across the state on April 1.

Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy convened a meeting with top officials to oversee the arrangements for the scheme’s launch. He instructed the Civil Supplies department to ensure adequate fine rice stocks are available to meet the demand for at least four months.

To encourage fine variety paddy cultivation, the government has announced a Rs 500 bonus per quintal, leading to an enthusiastic response from farmers. Officials have assured that the current availability of fine rice stocks is sufficient to sustain the scheme until the next farming season, which is expected to yield a significant procurement of fine rice.

Under this initiative, each family member of a white ration card holder will receive 6 kg of fine rice. The scheme will cover 91.19 lakh white ration cards, including those under the National Food Security Act, Annapurna, and the Telangana government’s white ration card programme. Nearly 2.87 crore beneficiaries will receive fine rice every month.

According to the Civil Supplies department officials, eight lakh tonnes of fine rice is currently available in the state godowns, with additional stocks expected from rice mills in April. The government’s primary objective in launching this scheme is to promote the regular consumption of quality rice among the beneficiaries. Officials noted that many beneficiaries previously sold the coarse rice provided through Fair Price Shops at higher rates in the open market instead of consuming it. By distributing the fine rice, the government aims to ensure that people, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, incorporate more nutritious rice into their daily diet.

Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasized that while the previous rice distribution programme did not fully achieve its intended nutritional goals, the revised scheme exclusively providing fine rice will better serve the needs of the poor families by enhancing their regular diet.