Hyderabad: BPL families not getting superfine rice under PDS?

Hyderabad: Are people under below poverty line (BPL) in the State getting superfine rice for Rs 1 through public distribution scheme?

Linga Reddy from Somajiguda objects to it saying, "No, not always. There is no guarantee that PDS shopkeepers give you only superfine rice every month. On several occasions, they gave coarse rice (Doddu Biyyam) and last month too, they gave us Doddu Biyyam."

Sharing a similar plight, Savithri Devi of Dammaiguda said, "We had to fight and insist the ration shop owners to provide fine rice. If anyone fails to raise their voice, then they will end up getting coarse rice."

"Sometimes beneficiaries get fine rice. But only after cooking, they get to know that they got coarse rice. We are left with no option but to use them," said Swarajyam.

Niranjan, who works in a tea stall in AS Rao Nagar, has his ration card back at his home in Nizamabad. His experience too was not different. He pointed out for months, the rice provided by the ration shop owner was only Doddu Biyyam, but not superfine rice. "Sometimes, they give half superfine rice and half coarse rice," he claimed. While this is so, the State government provides about 1.25 LMT of superfine rice to various educational institutions and other entities functioning under 11 welfare departments as part of providing the midday meals to the government residential hostels and schools like KGBVs.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the Civil Supplies department said, earlier there were complaints that Doddu Biyyam were supplied in place of fine rice. In some cases, only after cooking that it was found that the rice was Doddu Biyyam. What was supplied were polished Doddu Biyyam.

Following this, currently, to make the whole distribution of superfine rice transparent, the State government has put in place an online allocation of rice to the 11 welfare departments through e-POSS. Secondly, once the rice is unloaded, the headmaster concerned should check after cooking whether the rice delivered was polished coarse rice or the superfine variety. He should report the status of the rice provided within 24 hours to the local MRO and return the stocks. Action would be taken against the official concerned. However, if the headmaster fails to report any discrepancies during an inspection on a later date, then, action would be initiated against the headmaster.

The headmaster has to certify that the rice cooked in the institution was superfine variety rice and send the same every month to the Mandal Education Officer (MEO). In turn, the MEO should send the same to the District Education Officer (DEO). The DEO should ensure that the rice cooked in all the educational institutions under the midday meal scheme was superfine variety, the official said.