Food Bill to cost Andhra Pradesh dear
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Hyderabad: Contrary to expectations that the food security scheme announced by the Centre recently would decrease the subsidy burden of the state government, state officials estimate that the scheme would impose an additional financial burden on the state exchequer.
During a meeting to review the implementation of the food security scheme, at the Secretariat on Wednesday, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy was told that the scheme will impose a burden of Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 1,800 crore per annum on the government.
This is due to the large number of white card holders in the state, estimated to be 2.23 crore, and the compulsion to cover 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population under the scheme.
The food security scheme guarantees five kilos of rice, wheat, and coarse cereals per month, per person, at a fixed price of Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 respectively. The state government is currently implementing its own version of the food security programme by providing 20 kg rice at Rs 1 per kg under the Mana Biyyam scheme.
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