Bhubaneswar: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sasmit Patra has urged the Centre to lift surplus rice from Odisha amounting to 30 Lakh Metric tones through FCI.
Patra told Rajya Sabha on Monday that the process should be expedited as the subsidy of Rs5616 cr is still pending with the Union government towards rice procurement in Odisha.
Patra said by March 13 only 6.65 lakh tones of rice have been procured and added that if with this speed the procurement process will continue then the target might not be fulfilled.
The Rajya Sabha MP said FCI had procured 17 lakh tones of rice last year. If the state procures the same amount of rice this year, then Odisha will maintain a stock of 13 lakh MT of rice in the Kharif season this year. He said if this happens then the Odisha government will have a loss of Rs 4160 crore, he added.
