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Chennai, Oct 23 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson ANS Prasad urged the state government to expeditiously implement the Central government’s fortified rice distribution scheme and release a white paper outlining its stance and actions on paddy procurement.
In a statement, Prasad asked Food Minister R. Accused Sakkarapani of “spreading unfiltered lies” by claiming that the delay in central approval for the fortified rice mixture had led to a pile-up of paddy sacks in warehouses.
“Before blaming, the minister should explain what fortified rice is and why the Modi government has mandated its distribution to address nutritional deficiencies,” Prasad said.
He said the fortified rice initiative containing iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 was launched to tackle anemia and improve public health, especially among the poor.
The Center issued new guidelines for the 2025-26 procurement season on July 29, but the Tamil Nadu government took action on October 7 by placing an order for 34,000 metric tonnes of fortified rice, he said.
“This unforgivable delay of 75 days has caused loss to both farmers and the public,” he said.
The BJP leader accused Minister Sakkarapani of misleading the public by alleging that the Center had not approved the fortified rice samples sent for quality assurance, while contractors had recently sent the samples to Delhi.
He also said that Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam had refuted Sakkarapani’s claims by attributing the delay in procurement to the “unprecedented” increase in paddy production.
“Whenever the failures of the DMK regime are exposed, Sakkarapani resorts to mudslinging against the Center instead of fixing the system,” Prasad alleged. He said the government has failed to expand procurement centres, properly maintain warehouses or arrange temporary storage facilities.
He said the DMK’s administrative lapses in both the agriculture and food departments have led to distress among farmers, while corruption and commissioneering at procurement centers have not been addressed.
“Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin tweets about the achievements of the Dravidian model but remains silent on farmer suicides and anti-farmer policies,” he said.
Calling for an end to “political distractions”, Prasad urged the state to speed up quality approvals from Delhi, streamline paddy procurement and fully implement the fortified rice scheme to ensure an anemia-free Tamil Nadu.
–IANS
AL/DPB