Kerala to get 50,000 tonnes of rice for flood-affected people from Centre

New Delhi: The Centre will provide 50,000 tonnes of rice for distribution to flood-affected people in Kerala following a request from the state government.

The quantum of rice will be provided at a cost of Rs 20 per kilogram to the state, which has been ravaged by heavy rains that have also resulted in deaths in recent weeks.

On Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting with Piyush Goyal, who is the Union minister of consumer affairs and food and public distribution, in the national capital.

During the meeting, the chief minister requested for immediate allocation of rice for three months — 50,000 tonnes — as many people in the state are grappling with difficulties due to floods, according to a release issued by the Kerala government.

Goyal accepted the request and the rice will be given at a concessional rate of Rs 20 per kilogram, the release said.

Among others, Vijayan sought additional allocation of certain rice varieties coming from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

During the day, the chief minister also held a meeting with Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and discussed the proposed semi-high speed railway line project, called SilverLine, between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod.

Vijayan has requested speedy final approval for the project. Funding for the project from international agencies and related issues were also discussed with the minister.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 63,941 crore and the Centre’s share will be Rs 2,150 crore and land worth Rs 975 crore will be that of the railways. The rest of the project amount will be raised by the state government.