The Central Government on Thursday decided to release an extra 2.5 million tonnes of food grains to the various states for distribution among the poor at a BPL price following the directives of the Supreme Court on the issue of rotten food grains

"As an interim ad-hoc measure, pending a final decision on the issue, the government is releasing an additional quantity of 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and rice to the states at a BPL price for next six months," said Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after a meeting of an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) here today.

"The government is considering an overhaul of public distribution system including upgrading the number of eligible BPL families. This is expected to increase the number of BPL families eligible for assistance and corresponding increase in allocation by central government," he added.

Earlier on August 31, Pawar said the Government will accept the directives of the Supreme Court on the issue of rotten food grains.

The Supreme Court had on August 31 asserted that it had ordered free distribution of food grains to the poor instead of allowing them to rot in godowns, and added that it was not a suggestion as made out by Sharad Pawar.

"It was not a suggestion. It is there in our order. You tell the Minister," the court told the government counsel.

Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma clarified that they had passed an order, not an observation as was being made out in newspaper reports quoting Pawar.

Pawar had earlier said, "The Supreme Court's suggestion (for free distribution) is not possible to implement." (ANI)