Tripura department of food and civil supplies has initiated an experimental plan to empower the local peasants by distributing locally-produced rice through Public Distribution System (PDS).
The state has 5,90,489 ration card holders distributed among 1822 fair price shops. The food department provides different essential commodities in subsidized rates like rice, salt, wheat flour etc.
The rice supplied through PDS has been traditionally procured from Food Corporation of India (FCI).
The government procures paddy directly from the producers through FCI in MSP. Now, in a move to provide people good-quality boiled variety of rice, the rice procured from local producers are being distributed through fair price shops in PDS system in Tripura on subsidized rates.
The local producers are elated that they have been incorporated into the government mechanism.
Tripura food and civil supplies minister Manoj Kanti Deb said: “The move is initiated to serve the people of the state the locally-produced rice through PDS. The initiative is in the experimental stage. We need more production and more procurement. Still, I hope that it will help the local producers.”
