7.5 crore poor to Get Rs 1-a-kg rice

HYDERABAD: The state government is getting ready to launch the much-publicised Rs 1-a-kg rice scheme on November 1 on the occasion of Andhra Pradesh Formation Day celebrations.Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will formally launch the scheme in Hyderabad on November 1 at a special function in Khairatabad where a huge statue of Lord Ganesh is installed on every Vinayak Chaturthi.The government will bear an additional burden of about Rs 50 crore per month towards implementation of the subsidised rice scheme.In all, about 7.5 crore people below poverty line will benefit from the scheme.The chief minister who had announced the scheme in September has directed the Finance department for release of required funds for implementation of the scheme.About 2.25 crore families holding BPL ration cards will benefit.Another 24 lakh new cards will be distributed to eligible poor under Rachabanda-II programme to begin from November 2.