Price of PDS wheat goes up to Rs 8/kg

PUDUCHERRY:  The price of wheat supplied through Public Distribution System (PDS) to yellow card holders has been increased from Rs 1 to Rs 8 per kilogram, following a  modification in the earlier scheme.The scheme providing five kgs of rice and another five kgs of wheat at Rs 1 per kilo  every month to Yellow Card holders (APL) introduced by the previous V Vaithilingam government was modified to 15 kilos of free rice to APL cards by the new  government.Following this change, wheat is now being made available for all card holders at a government subsidised rate of `7.90 per kilo, said director of civil supplies and consumer affairs P Priytarshiny. The restriction on quantity has been lifted and now card holders can purchase  as per their requirement.However, some PDS shops have put up boards stating that rice is not available for APL card holders, while a few others have put up notices stating that rice will be given to APL card holders as and when available.The free rice scheme for APL cards has not been stopped, clarified Priyartashiny.Only priority is being given in distribution to red ration card holders , she said.  Ever since the modification of the scheme, the quantity of rice has increased from 3,800 metric tones to 6,600 metric tones per month. PDS shops are handling almost double the quantity. There are problems in storage. Hence,  50 per cent of the allotment has been released and the remaining 50 per cent will be released after clearance of the first stock, she added.