Rajasthan Food and Civil Supplies Minister Parsadilal Meena on Wednesday said the sugar quota allocated to the State under the public distribution system would be lifted on time and supplied to the consumers irrespective of the dues amounting to Rs.12 crore pending against the Union Government.

Mr. Meena said while replying to supplementary questions on a query about distribution of sugar in Kota division during Question Hour in the State Assembly that consumers in Rajasthan would get sufficient quantity of sugar following allocations made from the mills in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Rajasthan has so far been getting sugar for PDS from the mills in Maharashtra alone. Mr. Meena said the establishment of Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in the State was also a “step in the right direct” and affirmed that it would help streamline the distribution of essential commodities like sugar.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat had asked the question about the shortage of PDS sugar in Kota for three months last year. Mr. Meena said the dues of Rs.12 crore would be recovered shortly from the Centre and no lapse in lifting of sugar would be allowed to take place.

The Minister said the matter relating to timely payments to be made to cooperative institutions was essentially between the Union Government and the Food Corporation of India. “Once the audit is finalised between the two sides, it takes six months to a year in the transfer of funds to the cooperative bodies.”