Wheat Procurement Up 14.2 Per Cent

Procurement of wheat for the central pool during the current rabi marketing season till December has increased by 14.2 per cent to 9.30 million tonnes, according to an official release here yesterday. Wheat procurement last year stood at 8.14 mt. Procurement of rice during the current kharif marketing season till December touched 7.48 mt against 6.50 mt last year, an increase of 15 per cent. The release said the Targeted Public Distribution System has been launched in all states and union territories except Delhi and Lakshadweep, where identification of the poor was yet to be completed.