Government provided food to over 19.63 lakh affected persons and distributed over 1.35 crore food packets.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. (Photo: DC/File)
Chennai: Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday rrequested for additional allotment of rice at BPL rates and kerosene at PDS rates from the Union government. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa recalled that Central Government had declared the floods in Tamil Nadu “a calamity of severe nature”.
The state government had opened over 7,150 relief camps and provided food to over 19.63 lakh affected persons and distributed over 1.35 crore food packets in affected areas. In order to mitigate the suffering and hardship faced by the affected people, the state government has been extending relief packages to the affected families, which includes rice and other materials as per the State Disaster Response Fund norms.
The requirement of rice, taking into account the food distributed through relief centres, distribution of food packets in affected areas and the quantity required for the flood relief package is expected to be around 30,000 tonnes.
As this would be in addition to the regular entitlement under the Public Distribution System, an additional allocation of rice will be necessary. “I have directed my officials to commence the distribution of the additional quantity of rice to the affected families out of the existing stocks available with the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation for the Public Distribution System,” she said.
Jayalalithaa has requested Modi to direct the Union ministry of food and consumer protection to make a special allotment of 30,000 tonnes of rice to Tamil Nadu at BPL rates. She also noted that a large number of people, especially in urban slums and in rural areas, use kerosene and fuel wood for cooking purpose. Some of the households had even lost their LPG cylinders in the floods. The allotment of kerosene to Tamil Nadu is far below the entitlement of the state.
There are nearly 38.20 lakh households without LPG connection in the flood affected districts. The requirement of additional quantity of kerosene to these households works out to 19,100 KL.
She also requested Modi to direct Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas to allot 19,100 KL of kerosene to Tamil Nadu in addition to the regular allotment for issue under the PDS. This additional kerosene will be supplied to cardholders in rain affected areas at PDS rates.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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