Counter at Secretariat sells red gram at Rs 135 a kg

It is sold for prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 220 in the open market

Hyderabad: Commercial Taxes Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said red gram was being sold at Rs 135 per a kg on the Secretariat premises.

As red gram was being sold for prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 220 in the open market, the Civil Supplies Department opened a tur dal counter in the Secretariat where the Minister distributed one kg packets to the employees. Speaking on the occasion, Srinivas Yadav said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao directed the officials concerned to supply red gram at reduced price and help people get at least one kilogram.

“Following instructions from Chandrashekar Rao, we have opened special counters for selling tur dal at Rs 135 per kilogram,” he said. As the entire nation was witnessing a surge in the price of red gram, the Telangana government had opened special counters to sell it at lower prices to help the poor and middle class people, he said.

The Minister also said the government had taken steps to supply tur dal to common people by opening special counters in the twin cities, districts, municipalities and mandals. He asked the government employees from all the regions to avail tur dal from special counter in the Secretariat.

He also recalled that the State government plunged into direct action when onion prices escalated. The government bore additional expenditure and sold at reduced price of Rs 20 per kilogram of onion when its price was Rs 60 and above in the open market. The TRS government was aiming at the welfare of the poor and middle class people and implementing various welfare schemes, he added.