Summary:
TIRUVARUR: The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) has so far procured a total of 1.76 lakh tonnes of samba paddy grains from across Tiruvarur district, food minister R Kamaraj said. “All the DPCs have been provided with the required number of bags based on the area of cultivation and expected arrival of paddy grain to that particular centre. He instructed the officials concerned to complete the process on daily basis without making the farmers wait for days to weigh their produce.During the inspection, the minister said that the government is procuring paddy for Rs 1,840 per quintal for fine quality and Rs 1,800 for normal variety. A total of Rs 10.40 crore has also been disbursed to the farmers who sold their samba paddy grains in the district, the minister said during a consultation meeting held in Tiruvarur on Monday to discuss the ongoing process of samba paddy procurement.As far as Tiruvarur district was concerned, a total of 436 direct procurement centres (DPCs) were functioning, the minister further added.The minister refuted the allegations that many DPCs are idle due to non-availability of jute bags. This price includes the support price announced by the state government, Rs 70 and Rs 50, for fine quality and ordinary paddy variety respectively.All the regional managers and other staff have been asked to oversee that the paddy brought by the farmers is procured without any delay and damage to the grain, he added.Principal secretary for food and consumer protection department Dayanand Kataria, managing director of Tamil Nadu civil supplies corporation M Sudha Devi, district collector L Nirmal Raj and officials from various departments were also present during the meeting..