SRINAGAR: An additional 10 kg ration will be provided at a subsidised rate to more than 57 lakh priority households covered under Prime Minister’s Food Supplementation Scheme (PMFSS), Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha announced on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference, Sinha said priority households in J&K were already getting 4 kg free of cost ration per member per family. From now onwards, 10 kg additional ration will be provided to each family at a rate of Rs 25 per kg. In J&K, 14.32 lakh ration card holders and 57,24,000 families would be covered under PMFSS, he added.
“There is a subsidy of Rs 9 (per kg). If there are four family members, they will get 16 kg free ration, plus 10 kg additional rice at the subsidised rate,” the LG said.
The subsidy will cost Rs 1.80 crore to the government annually, he added.
On steps taken by the administration in view of caving in of a road stretch at Panthal, Sinha said efforts were on to make the alternate road ready within three days to facilitate Amarnath pilgrims.
To a query about delay in SSB recruitments, he said there were complaints of irregularities in the earlier exams, after which a CBI probe was initiated. “The matter is before the high court and once the decision comes, exams will be held. For fresh posts, exam dates will be announced within 15 days,” he said.
Asked if the government would announce any relaxation for the poor in power tariff, the LG made it clear that people would have to pay their bills as per the usage. There was no alternative to the smart meters as power debt bills for J&K had mounted to Rs 31,000 crore in the past four years, he said.