Thiruvananthapuram: Centre has allocated Rs 209 crore towards its share of the minimum support price for paddy procured in Keralam, food and civil supplies minister Anoop Jacob said on Friday.The state’s incentive share for second-crop paddy procurement has already been released in full to Supplyco. The central allocation will enable the govt to clear the pending paddy payments to farmers, the minister said. Centre confirmed that the amount would be released on Friday. The allocation follows the minister’s visit to Delhi to submit a memorandum to Union food minister and repeated requests for the release of the funds.The state govt is making arrangements to credit the paddy procurement price to farmers’ accounts without delay, including on holidays, he added.Rs 10 crore for AswasakiranamThe state govt has sanctioned Rs 10 crore as the first instalment under Aswasakiranam, the scheme for assisting the caregivers of physically and mentally disabled bedridden patients. The scheme has a budget provision of Rs 50 crore for the year, and the amount has been sanctioned to the Kerala Social Security Mission.Of the sanctioned amount, Rs 8,43,46,400 will be disbursed to 24,857 beneficiaries. The assistance includes Rs 600 a month for April to July 2026 and Rs 1,000 for Aug.
