Twitter
Advertisement

Maharashtra wants Centre to lift ban on palm oil sale through fair price shops

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The state government wants the Centre to review its decision to ban the sale of palm oil through the public distribution system.

The Centre had asked the state to stop the distribution of palm oil at subsidised rates through the PDS by September 30. Accordingly, from October, the state put an end to its distribution.

However, the state government wrote to the Centre, urging it to relax the rules as there was a huge demand for palm oil from the beneficiaries in the state. The Centre is yet to respond to this request.

The state had been giving  palm oil at subsidised rates since 2009. Around 15,000 litres of palm oil used to be distributed every month till some time ago. “People are demanding that we continue distributing it. But what can we do when the Centre has asked us to stop the distribution.

We import the oil, and the rupee’s downslide was a major cause for the ban,” said an official.

Agreeing, an official from the Food and Civil Supplies Department said the Centre didn’t want to import palm oil. “The oil is imported from countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Importing oil is a burden on the country as the falling rupee makes imports costlier. Also, it is a burden on foreign exchange reserves,” the official added.

The official further said they would not be able to resume palm oil distribution till the Centre gives them the go ahead, as the state cannot import the oil its own.

Surprisingly, the food and civil supplies minister Anil Deshmukh (in pic) has assured people that palm oil distribution will start again soon. “We do not know how he can make such assurances,” said another official.

Managing palm oil distribution
The state had been giving  palm oil at subsidised rates since 2009. Around 15,000 litres of palm oil used to be distributed every month till some time ago. An official from the Food and Civil Supplies department said the Centre didn’t want to import palm oil. “The oil is imported from countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Importing oil is a burden as the falling rupee makes imports costlier,” the official added.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement