Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Wednesday said her promise to supply 10 kg of free rice every month to each ration cardholder, if elected to power, was without any conditions.
"There is no need for the ration card holders to purchase 10 kg of rice at Rs 3.50 per kg to avail the free rice. They can straightaway avail free rice," she told an election meeting in Theni.
"It is up to the ration card holders to decide whether to purchase another 10 kg at Rs.3.50 or not," she said.
Charging the media with "twisting the promise" that the card holders should purchase 10 kg at Rs 3.50 per kg for getting 10 kg of rice free, Jayalalithaa said she had never said that.
"I want to clarify now. You need not purchase 10 kg at Rs 3.50 per kg. If you feel that you do not want more than 10 kg, you just show your card and draw 10 kg, without paying," she said.
At present, there were 1.88 crore ration card holders in the state of which the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government issued 32 lakh cards to poor people.
The chief minister also announced an ambitious plan to provide guaranteed employment for one person in a family if no one in the family was employed.
