Andhra govt doles out subsidised vegetables packets

HYDERABAD: It is a Sankranti gift for people from the Andhra Pradesh government. In an effort to control prices, the state government has introduced two different family packages of vegetables at subsidised rates.

The first package is available for Rs 99, which consists of 1kg each tomato, potato, brinjal, carrot, 1 cauliflower, 1 cabagae, 250 gm green chilli and 2kg onion. The other pack, priced at Rs 49, will have 1kg tomato, 550 gm each potato, brinjal, carrot, 1 cauliflower, 1 cabbage, 250 gm green chilli and 1kg onion.

This is part of the government’s market intervention scheme. This facility is provided to consumers in all Rythu Bazaars — farmers’ market run by the state government — in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has also directed the agricultural marketing and civil supplies departments to extend the scheme to all districts across the state till the price situation improves, according to a release from the government.

Besides the package, the government has also started offering onions at Rs 20 in all Rythu Bazaars across the state. The chief minister has asked the Marketing Department to accelerate the market intervention schemes by procuring onions from the wholesale market in Hyderabad and sell it through Rythu Bazars. Till now, 6,791 quintal onion was sold under the scheme.

At present, there are about 100 Rythu Bazaars in the state. “This is a first of its kind initiative taken by the Andhra government to supply vegetables and essential commodities in Rythu Bazaars in order to quell rising food prices. This scheme will be implemented in all the districts and the transportation costs will be borne by the govt. We will have a review meeting after the festive season to see if the scheme needs to be extended,” said Sanjay Jaju, commissioner of Consumer Affairs, Food and Civil Supplies Department. As per the recommendations of the Group of Ministers, onions should be procured from Maharashtra and the state government will bear the expenses up to Rs 10 per kg to distribute it at this rate.