M A I N   N E W S

Centre’s yes to 3 TDP demands

NEW DELHI, Dec 8 (UNI) — TDP MPs today called off their dharna in the precincts of Parliament complex following an assurance by the Centre that it would meet three of their major demands on rice procurement from Andhra Pradesh through the FCI.

Food and Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Shanta Kumar told the agitating MPs that the FCI would procure paddy on the Punjab pattern, allow the export of rice like wheat and despatch five lakh tonnes of rice from Andhra Pradesh to deficient southern States and West Bengal.

Mr Shanta Kumar is also expected to visit Hyderabad tomorrow to discuss the issue with AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

The slogan-shouting TDP MPs agreed to end their protest after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by TDP leader K Yerran Naidu, announced at the dharna site that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had a telephonic talk with Mr Chandrababu Naidu and assured him of consideration of their demands.

Earlier, Ms Mamata, along with Mr Shanta Kumar and Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan, came to the dharna site and persuaded TDP members to lift their dharna. The ministerial group held discussions with Mr Yerran Naidu at the office of Speaker G. M. C. Balayogi before the announcement.

TDP sources said that the parliamentary party meeting would be held at Hyderabad tomorrow to consider the response of the government.

While the TDP wants procurement of paddy, the Centre has assured a stepped-up procurement of rice through the levy route. It has also promised to allow the state government and private parties to export rice. The concession offered by the government was to relax the admixture rate for procuring rice with 13 per cent instead of 10 per cent. The third concession was to declare Swarna Mussoori superfine variety of rice as grade I on par with basmati.