40,000 tonnes of rice and other essentials will be sent to Sri Lanka, says Sakkarapani
40,000 tonnes of rice and other essentials will be sent to Sri Lanka, says Sakkarapani
Food and Civil Supplies Minister R. Sakkarapani on Saturday warned of legal action against those who circulate misleading information on social media about initiatives to send essential items like rice to Sri Lanka.
According to a press release, the state government will supply 40,000 tonnes of rice and other essential commodities to Sri Lanka. 51 rice mills have been identified for packing and supplying rice in 10 kg bags. Good quality rice varieties exported to Sri Lanka have been procured by the state government at Rs 33.50 per kg, which includes transportation cost to ports like Thoothukudi and Chennai. However, some people have shared misleading information on social media claiming that the rice should have been bought from the Food Corporation of India for ₹20.
Pointing out the challenges in sending rice from the Food Corporation of India to the public distribution system in other countries, the minister said social media posts comparing rice procured by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation with the product in the public distribution system were misleading. .