06-05-2025
Sanna Biyyam…Fine rice scheme whets PDS beneficiaries' appetite in TG
Hyderabad: Living up to the hype, the State government's fine rice distribution scheme is stimulating excitement amongst the beneficiaries. The Fair Price Shops (FPS) are now witnessing large queues, as more and more people are keen to try the quality of 'sanna biyyam'.
Under the Congress government's flagship ration scheme, 80 to 84 percent of the population are being given 6 kg of premium quality rice per person. Around 3.10 crore people are getting this fine rice free of cost.
In Hyderabad, the distribution started after the Poll code for MLC election was lifted, from May 3. 'As the news spread that the ration shops were now providing fine rice, even the people who otherwise avoided visiting the place could be seen standing in long queues. Some were anxious about the stock getting depleted within hours and tried to break queues' said Sandhya Rani, a domestic help.
Even those who collected the rice from the PDS (Public Distribution Centres) in parts of Old City expressed satisfaction after cooking the rice. 'Earlier, we were hesitant to consume the rice which we received from PDS shops. Mostly they were used for making dosas. But this is the first time we decided to cook this variety and it is much better than what we get from kirana shops,' said Fouzia Begum, a resident of Chandrayangutta.
On May 4, Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said this was the first time in Indian history that such a large section of people were provided quality food grain for free. He criticised the previous government for supplying poor quality coarse rice which went mostly to poultry farms and beer companies instead of serving the poor. He alleged the BRS government spent Rs 10,665 crore every year to supply 24 lakh metric tonnes of unusable rice that most people refused to eat.
'In contrast, the Congress government is now spending Rs 13,000 crore to provide actual food security to every deserving family. This was made possible due to timely procurement, proper bonuses, and farmer-friendly policies introduced by the Congress government. Every grain of Vaanakalam paddy was purchased at MSP and fine varieties were given an additional bonus of Rs 500 per quintal,' he said.
