Tamil Nadu has been allotted an additional 1.78 lakh tonnes of rice a month for the next three months, under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
Of this additional allocation, around 36,000 tonnes have been earmarked for beneficiaries with Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration cards and 1.42 lakh tonnes for those covered under priority household (PHH) cards, officials said.
Around 1.11 crore ration cards fall under the two categories, with AAY accounting for 18.6 lakh cards.
Since the beginning of the month, rice is being supplied from the Food Corporation of India. Every day, a certain quantity is being taken from Central authorities. On Tuesday, around 16,000 tonnes of rice were drawn, according to State government officials handling food and public distribution.
Though the officials are awaiting details regarding the supply of pulses from the Union government, they expect to receive 20,000 tonnes a month, the cost of which will be ₹60 crore.
