Centre to provide more rice to Odisha for PDS sale

The Centre has decided to allocate more rice to the Odisha government for distribution through ration shops with state being a surplus paddy grower.
Of the total 21 lakh tonnes of foodgrains allocated to the state government per annum for PDS sale, the centre gives rice and wheat in the ratio of 79:21.
"The state had demanded to allocate more rice by changing this ratio to 85:15. A committee was set up to look into the issue and has taken a view that Odisha is a rice producing state and a surplus paddy stake and their demand is valid," Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswas said.

In a special case, the state demand has been considered and the committee has been asked to accept the demand of the Odisha government, he said.
Other states have also demanded change in the ratio of foodgrains supply, but the Odisha government's request is being considered keeping in view the state's significant contribution to the total rice production, he added.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also from Odisha, today met Paswan and made similar demand to protect the interest of Odisha people.
According to sources, the centre is likely to supply more rice for supply through Public Distribution System (PDS) to Odisha government from next month onwards.

Paswan also said that the centre supplies wheat and rice to states for sale in ration shops at highly subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg. As many as 13 states including Odisha have further subsidised the rates.