The Centre has increased the monthly allocation of rice by about 22,115 tonnes to Tamil Nadu for the public distribution system (PDS).
The additional allocation covers the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) card holders under the National Food Security Act, apart from the “tide over” category. This will be in force for the next 10 months, ending March 2023, as the Centre has cut down the allocation of wheat for the State proportionately. In Tamil Nadu, the numbers of persons covered under the AAY and PHH are 68.6 lakh and 2.96 crore respectively, totalling nearly 3.65 crore
Consequently, the State’s monthly allocation of rice has gone up to about 2.97 lakh tonnes. However, there will be no change in the overall monthly allocation of food grains — approximately 2,13,309 tonnes — which include wheat. Apart from Tamil Nadu, the fresh monthly allocation under the NFSA has been made for nine other States, and, in the case of “tide over category” category, two others.
In a communication sent last week to the States concerned, the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Union government cited the need to ensure management of food stocks as per norms; position rice stock for the distribution of fortified rice and ease the pressure on logistics as reasons for the revision in allocation. The decision also followed the Central government lowering its original projection of wheat production by six million tonnes (from 111 million tonnes to about 105 million tonnes).
The revision in the allocation is over and above what the Centre is providing to Tamil Nadu under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) or special allocation for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the NFSA, the revised monthly allocation of rice and wheat will be about 2.04 lakh tonnes and 8,532 tonnes respectively against the original allocation of around 1.92 lakh tonnes and 21,330 tonnes. As regards the “tide over” category, only rice — 93,170 tonnes per month — will be supplied to the State against the earlier allocation of 83,853 tonnes of rice and 9,317 tonnes of wheat.
Earlier in the month, when the PMGKAY allocations were revised at the all-India level, the quantity set apart for Tamil Nadu rose from about 1.64 lakh tonnes to 1.82 lakh tonnes per month. Consequently, the earlier allocation of wheat of 18,234 tonnes had been done away with. The changed allocation, which came into force this month, would be applicable up to September.
