Nirmala Sitharaman flags missing Modi pics in Telangana PDS outlets

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph in PDS outlets of Telangana.

On a visit to PDS outlets in Kamareddy district of Telangana on Friday, the minister sought details of the costs incurred in per kilogram of rice disbursed through the PDS, by the central and state governments respectively.

Unhappy with the vague responses of the district administration officials to her query, she insisted the district collector furnish the details on priority.

Pointing out that the central government contributes Rs 29 out of Rs 35 towards each kilogram of rice disbursed through the public distribution system, Sitharaman wondered why Prime Minister Modi's photograph is missing in these outlets.

Earlier, the second day of union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's three-day Telangana tour witnessed tension after Youth Congress workers tried to block her convoy near Banswada.

The Congress workers were protesting the high fuel prices and demanded the finance minister cut petrol and diesel prices.

On Thursday, the union minister had embarked on a three-day tour of the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency as part of the ruling BJP's Parliament Pravas Yojana.