State govt plans to set up Anna canteens in Phase-1

Amaravati: The government is planning to set up 65 Anna canteens in various municipal corporations and municipalities in the state in first phase and increase them depending on the requirement. Civil supplies minister Paritala Sunitha made this announcement in Legislative Council while answering a question by M V V S Murthi during Question Hour on Thursday.

She further said, A Cabinet sub-committee will discuss the matter and take a decision. The aim of the government is to supply good quality food at nominal prices to the poor. The government is ready to provide necessary budget support to the scheme.”

To another question asked by Ummareddy Venkateswarlu, the minister said that they had a proposal to serve ragi sankati in Anantapur district in the Anna canteens. There are also proposals to set up Anna canteens near RTC bus stands and railway stations to supply food at nominal rate to the poor, she added.

Gali Muddu Krishnan Naidu wanted to know the steps being taken by the government to provide a better price to chilli farmers and expressed serious concern over falling chilli price causing huge losses to farmers..

Replying to the question, agriculture minister Prathipati Pulla Rao said that the government had given a bonus Rs. 2 per kg to onion farmers, when the onion priced had fallen to extend a helping hand to farmers. He said the chilli price had fallen to Rs 8,000 per quintal as farmers produced more chillis due to high price in the last season when traders offered Rs 14,000 per quintal due to high demand.

“Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a meeting with chilli exporters to get a better price to the farmers. The government has also begun an exercise to purchase chillis through Markfed,” he said.

Stating that the government was purchasing red gram through Markfed to get better price to farmers, Pulla Rao reminded he himself had opened red a gram purchase centre at Chilakaluripet town. He further said that the Guntur Mirchi Yard had purchased 1.15 crore bags of chillis stocks during this season from farmers.

The minister said the Chief Minister had asked Union commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman to set up Spices Board regional office in Guntur district and added that the government had set up Rythu Bazaars to sell agriculture products produced by the farmers and mobile Rythu Bazaars were also set up. He made it clear that the government was not thinking to revive Karshak Parishad.

Replying to question by members Ummareddy Venkateswarlu and M V V S Murthi, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that the Central government had been releasing Rs 350 crore per year for the development of backward north Andhra and Rayalaseema districts during the last three years.

“The Centre has released Rs 1,050 crore for the last three years, of which the state government has spent Rs 573.84 crore so far, he said. Giving district-wise break up, he said Rs. 67.83 crore was spent in Srikakulam, Rs 100 crore in Vizianagaram, Rs.100 crore in Vizag, Rs 64.33 crore in Chittoor, Rs 71.25 crore in YSR Kadapah district , Rs 100 crore in Anantapur district and Rs 70.43 crore in Kurnool district so far. He said the state government had laid panchayats raj roads, took up minor irrigation and rural water supply works and built cold storage units using the funds.

Responding to a question raised by M V V S Murthi and M V S Sarma, minister for education, Ganta Srinivasa Rao said there were 4,699 teacher post vacancies in the government and schools set up by the local bodies in the state. He said that after conducting rationalisation, the government would think about DSC to fill teacher posts. He assured that the government would fill Urdu teachers in the next DSC.