CCEA to consider tomorrow 6 mn ton extra foodgrain sale to APL

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is likely to consider tomorrow a proposal to sell additional 6.17 million tonne foodgrains via ration shops at a subsidised price to over 10.46 crore above poverty line (APL) families in the current fiscal.

"The CCEA meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. The proposal on additional foodgrains allocation to APL families is on the agenda of the meeting," sources said.

Considering surplus foodgrains stocks, the Food Ministry has suggested continuation of extra allocation of 6.17 million tonnes (4.18 million tonnes of wheat and 1.98 million tonnes of rice) to APL families to ensure that each family gets 15-35 kg of foodgrains per month in this fiscal, they said.

The extra allocation will entail subsidy of Rs 9,463 crore in the 2013-14 fiscal to the government, they added.

The total foodgrains allocation to APL families would increase to 16.69 million tonnes in the 2013-14 fiscal.

Normally, the government allocates minimum 10.6 kg foodgrains per family each month to APL families. Rice is sold at Rs 8.30 per kg, while wheat at Rs 6.10 per kg.

The quantity of grains supply to APL families has been increased because of huge stocks in government godowns in the wake of record production and procurement in last few years.

The government has been allocating 35 kg foodgrains per month to each APL families in 13 special states, where allocation was less than 15 kg, since June 2011, while it has maintained 15 kg in other states.

As on May 1, the government has a stock of 77.45 million tonnes, while the actual requirement till April was only 21.2 million tonnes.