Ministers P. Venkataramanan and V. Gandhiraj launched sales of fine-quality rice at ₹30 a kg at 11 Amudham and 19 cooperative stores in Chennai, with up to 5 kg per person. The government has procured 25,000 tonnes and will expand to 250 cooperative stores. Ration shop staff selling low-cost onions will get ₹2 per kg as an incentive.
Ministers P. Venkataramanan and V. Gandhiraj launched sales of fine-quality rice at ₹30 a kg at 11 Amudham and 19 cooperative stores in Chennai, with up to 5 kg per person. The government has procured 25,000 tonnes and will expand to 250 cooperative stores. Ration shop staff selling low-cost onions will get ₹2 per kg as an incentive.
The low-price rice promised last week is now on the shelves. Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Venkataramanan and Cooperation Minister V. Gandhiraj launched sales of fine-quality rice at ₹30 a kg in Chennai on Saturday, October 18, 2026 — an answer to the sharp rise in open-market rice prices.
To curb onion prices, the government bought onions in three phases through the central agencies NAFED and NCCF, and is selling them through cooperative-run ration shops; about 700 tonnes are planned in the current phase. An order from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies now gives ration shop workers ₹2 for every kilogram of onions they sell, credited directly to their bank accounts by ECS, to recognise the extra work of receiving, sorting, weighing and recording the stock.
Rice and onions are daily essentials in every Tamil Nadu kitchen. Selling them below market price through the State’s own network keeps food affordable during the festival season — and the onion incentive makes sure the shop staff who carry the extra load are paid for it.
Food Security Price Control Amudham Stores Cooperatives Ration Shops Day 163