Processed pulses sent to ration shops, coop supermarkets
Worker packing pulses for distribution through ration shops across the state at Tondiarpet on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)
CHENNAI: With the Tamil Nadu government receiving 500 tonnes of pulses from the Centre, state cooperative and food departments have started to despatch the processed pulses to cooperative supermarkets and ration shops across Tamil Nadu.
Based on a request from Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, the Union government allotted 1,000 tonnes of pulses to the state, of which the first phase of 500 tonnes had reached Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu government had already been selling tur dhal and urad dhal at Rs 30 per kg in over 34,000 fair price shops across the state at a time when the price in open market was about Rs 300.
In the first phase of Centre’s consignment, the state government has allotted 350 tonnes for cooperatives department and remaining for civil supplies corporation. The pulses will be distributed to people across the state through 91 cooperative super markets in Chennai, Tiruchy, Madurai and Coimbatore, besides over 30,000 fair price shops in the state.
The pulses are being processed in seven mills in Chennai and are being packed as 50 kg bags each. Two days ago, the cooperative department sent the dhal load to Madurai district and on Wednesday, five tonnes each were dispatched to Coimbatore and Tiruchi districts, Chennai would get 10 tonnes.
The cooperative supermarket in Triplicane has been packing pulses as one kg and 500 grama and has started to send them to cooperative supermarkets in Chennai. Meanwhile, cooperation minister Sellur K. Raju and food minister R. Kamaraj held separate review meetings with officials to discuss about distribution of pulses. Kamaraj convened a meeting with private vendors and asked them not to hoard dhal and not to sell the commodity at a higher price.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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