Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday promised to reimburse Chhattisgarh food subsidies worth Rs 4,832 crores after Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel raised the demand and also sought the lifting of 40 lakh tonnes of rice by the FCI.
Meeting Goyal, Baghel requested him to pay pending food subsidies for 2019-20 and 2020-21 totalling Rs 5,214.97 crores. The Union Minister agreed to reimburse Rs 4,832 crores, an official communication said.
Chhattisgarh Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey and Food Minister Amarjeet Bhagat accompanied Baghel.
The Chief Minister said the Centre should permit procurement of 40 lakh tonnes of rice by the Food Corporation of India at the earliest as 92 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21.
He said the Food Department has been allowed to take only 24 lakh tonnes of rice under the Central pool.
