Andhra Pradesh to replace ‘Amma Hastam’

HYDERABAD: The ‘NTR Aapanna Hastam’, a new scheme to provide food security to poor people in Andhra Pradesh, is all set to replace the Indira Gandhi Amma Hastam (IGAH). Sources in the civil supplies department said that the TDP government was not happy with IGAH on the grounds that it has become unpopular due to sub-standard ingredients provided to people.
The Chandrababu Naidu government is now set to revamp the system with better quality food commodities. Official sources told TOI that the new scheme would be in place from 1st January, 2015, or Sankranthi, an important festival in Andhra Pradesh. The issue will come up for discussion in the next cabinet. The move is also in tune with the chief minister’s policy of revamping and renaming various schemes named after the Gandhi family by previous Congress governments to herald a new regime with the TDP signature.
IGAH was launched on Ugadi in 2013 by the then chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Under the scheme, 22 lakh white card holders in united AP were promised a package of nine essential commodites for just Rs 185 every month when the market prices of these items were Rs 292.
The package included 1 kg tur dal, 1 litre palm oil, 1 kg maida, 1 kg wheat atta, 500 gm sugar, 1 kg salt, 250 gm chilli power, 500 gm tamarind and 100 gm turmeric power.
Civil supplies minister Paritala Sunitha said the state government has in principle decided to relaunch the scheme with quality food stuff. “As we successfully displayed during the relief and rehabilitation efforts post-Hudhud in the three north coastal districts recently, we will ensure that quality food items are distributed to the poor under the scheme. The name of the scheme has not been decided yet. But, definitely, it will be christened after NT Rama Rao,” the minister told TOI.
Sunitha said that it was NTR who thought of food security for the poor in the country and launched the Rs 2 per kg rice scheme. “NTR equated food with self-respect. Food security provides self-respect to the poor. The government wants to revive the NTR spirit in supplying quality essential commodities to the poor,” she said.
The minister said that she was upset with the poor quality of commodities supplied to the poor through IGAH. Stating that people everywhere were disappointed with the quality, Sunitha said that she has come across instances where white ration card-holders had rejected the commodities due to their poor quality.
“I had personally visited many civil supplies godowns where IGAH commodities were stored. On examination, I found that the chilli powder did not emit the natural strong odour. Similarly, turmeric was decoloured while tamarind was also not up to the mark. I feel supplying such sub-standard food commodities to the poor is an affront on their self-respect. So we wanted to recast the package with quality goods,” the minister said.