The Hindu Business Line : Supplyco to procure paddy every year

The Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Mr Adoor Prakash, said in the State Assembly on Tuesday that paddy would be procured even from unregistered cooperatives in response to such a demand from various quarters.

The Minister said that the corporation had begun procurement after getting clearance from the Centre for sale of rice through ration shops using the services of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). However, the operation was a loss-making exercise as the procurement price fixed by FCI was Rs 5.60 a kilo. The corporation had decided to bear the losses in the interest of protecting the paddy growers in the State, he added.

The Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, said that the Government would ensure that no vacancy in Government services remained vacant and that no such vacancy was filled with hands taken on casual basis.

He noted that the Government records showed that 97 per cent of all Government vacancies had been filled and that the remaining ones could not be filled due to technical or legal issues.

The Chief Minister told the House that he had convened a meeting of political parties on August 9 to discuss how the disruption of public life in the capital city on account of demonstrations and strikes could be prevented. The Government was faced with contempt of court proceedings over the issue, he added.

Mr Chandy said that the Government was trying to get Air Arabia, the cheapest airline in the Gulf sector, to operate flights to destinations in Kerala.

It also proposed to start a budget airline of its own to mitigate the difficulties being faced by the Gulf-bound passengers from the State.

The Labour Minister, Mr Babu Divakaran, said that an adalat meant exclusively for the cashew industry would be held on August 10 to address complaints about provident fund remittances.

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