Move aimed at supporting farmers, providing nutritious food to poor
The Telangana government is planning a major policy shift by distributing jowar and maize through ration shops at subsidised prices instead of auctioning the produce in the open market.
The proposal is aimed at achieving two key objectives — ensuring better returns for farmers and making nutritious food available to poor families at affordable rates.
The government has decided to procure jowar and maize directly from farmers to guarantee minimum support and prevent distress sales. Instead of selling the collected grain through open market auctions, officials are exploring a system where the produce would be packed and supplied directly to beneficiaries through the Civil Supplies Department.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said the intention is to ensure that farmers do not suffer losses after cultivating the crop. He stated that food grains should not remain mere market commodities but should reach poor households as nutritious food.
Check on middlemen, boost for nutrition
Officials said the move is also intended to curb the role of middlemen, who usually purchase auctioned grain at lower prices and earn huge margins in the open market.
Under the proposed model, jowar and maize would be supplied to people at rates lower than market prices through the public distribution system.
The government believes the initiative can improve nutrition levels among economically weaker sections while also stabilising prices for farmers growing coarse grains.
Supply planned for hostels, gurukul schools, poultry sector
The government is also considering supplying jowar and maize to welfare hostels and gurukul institutions run for SC, ST, BC and minority students.
Officials have been directed to examine ways to include the grains in hostel and school meal programmes to improve nutrition among students.
Apart from this, the government is exploring supplying maize to the poultry sector at subsidised prices to help poultry farmers facing financial stress due to rising feed costs.
The proposal was discussed during a recent Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting, where the government emphasised that farmer welfare would remain the top priority in procurement and distribution decisions.
The post Telangana Govt Plans Low-Cost Distribution of Jowar, Maize Through Ration Shops appeared first on Telugu360.
Telangana Govt Plans Low-Cost Distribution of Jowar, Maize Through Ration Shops
