CHENNAI: Fulfilling one of her main poll promises during the Assembly Elections, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Wednesday, launched the free rice scheme distributed under the public distribution system (PDS) for ration cardholders in the State.After launching the scheme at a Triplicane Urban Co-operative Society (TUCS) outlet at Alwarpet here, Jayalalithaa distributed the 20-kg free rice bags to several women beneficiaries. She also enquired about the stock availability of goods distributed under PDS for cardholders with the in-charge of the outlet.After assuming office as Chief Minister, keeping her poll promise, Jayalalithaa first signed the file on May 17 to issue the free rice to eligible cardholders.Under the scheme, 1.83 crore cardholders and 18.62 lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiaries across the State would be benefited.Besides top officials, state ministers including ‘Agri’ S S Krishnamurthy, Sellur K Raju, O Pannerselvam. K A Sengottaiyan, G Senthamilan, Gokula Indira, TKM Chinnaiah, Senthil Balaji, C V Shanmugam and K P Munusamy, MLAs including B Valarmathi and V P Kalairajan and the AIADMK party MPs including M Thambidurai and D Maitreyan attended the function.Free rice would be distributed on all the working days and flying squads have been formed in all the districts to monitor the execution of free rice scheme. Beneficiaries who have got the free rice on the inaugural day expressed happiness over the scheme.In Kancheepuram, the scheme took off in seven taluks of the district through 1,414 outlets without any fanfare. District Civil Supplies Officer, Gunasekharan who visited certain pockets told Express that about 10 per cent of the allocated rice was distributed to the beneficiaries on the first day.He said there are 5,80,000 card holders in the district, and they would require 99, 22,818 kg of rice. Meanwhile, sources said the government had given clear instructions to its MLAs not to make a show out of the scheme.
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