The Food and Civil Supplies department has issued orders to constitute committees to monitor the prices of essential commodities and make recommendations to overhaul the functioning of the cash-strapped Supplyco.
A State-level committee chaired by the Chief Secretary has been constituted to review the price rise of essential commodities every four months. The panel also comprises the secretaries of Food and Civil Supplies, Finance, Local Self-Governments, Agriculture, and Revenue departments. The Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is the convener.
District-level committees comprising District Collectors and the district officials of Food and Civil Supplies, and Agriculture departments will also meet every month and submit recommendations to the Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs for market intervention.
Report in 15 days
Another committee chaired by State Planning Board member K. Ravi Raman has also come into being to study the problems faced by Supplyco. The committee which includes the secretary of Food and Civil Supplies Department, and the chairman and managing director of Supplyco has been asked to come up with recommendations to modify the prices of subsidised items that have remained unchanged since 2016.
Considering the lack of availability of some subsidised products, the government has directed the committee to explore the possibility of including around 15 items on the list of subsidised commodities. It has also been tasked with examining the feasibility of expanding Supplyco’s operations to more avenues. The committee has been provided 15 days to submit its report.
