Probe ordered into pest-affected rice

Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu on Thursday assured that the state government would order a comprehensive probe into the pest affected rice supplied under Rs 1-a-kg scheme on Wednesday in Warangal district.

Talking to media persons at the State Secretariat, the Minister said that the government would take action against the officials concerned based on the probe report. He said that enquiry has been ordered based on reports that appeared in a section of media that pest affected rice was supplied on Nov 2 under Rs 1 a kg rice scheme. He warned that serious action would be taken against those who try to damage or defame the scheme.

Sreedhar Babu said that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy launched the scheme under which 22.6 million below poverty line families would get rice at Re 1-a-kg instead of the Rs 2. Stating that the scheme was aimed at providing food security to the poor, he said that 3,30,000 tonnes of subsidised rice would be supplied through the public distribution system every month. 

The Minister also assured that the government was trying to reduce the prices of rice being sold in open market.