Hyderabad, Apr 11 (IANS): The Andhra Pradesh government Thursday launched a new scheme to supply a basket of nine essential commodities to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the state.

On the occasion of 'Ugadi', the Telugu New Year, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launched the scheme, Amma Hastam, under which every BPL family will be supplied one pack a month through fair price shops for Rs.185.

Minister for Civil Supplies D. Sridhar Babu said 2.25 crore white card ration holders will get the pack, with one kg of red gram, palmolein oil, whole meal flour, wheat, iodized salt, half kg sugar, tamarind, quarter kg chilli powder and 100 gm turmeric powder.

According to the government, the market price of these commodities is Rs.292. Thus, each card holder will get a benefit of Rs.107 per month.

The scheme, said to be the first of its kind in the country, will benefit 7.5 crore people.

Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy had announced in the budget last month that the scheme would cost Rs.660 crore to the exchequer every year.

The white-card holding families are already being given rice at Rs 1. per kg every month under 'Mana Biyyam' scheme. Each family is entitled to 20 kg of rice a month.

Every month the government is supplying 3.25 lakh tonnes of rice under the scheme introduced in November. It is estimated to cost over Rs.2,600 crore to the exchequer.
Bodies of soldiers killed in South Sudan reach India
 (13:08)
New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) The bodies of five Indian UN peacekeepers killed in South Sudan have reached India, the army said Thursday.

"The bodies of the five martyrs have been brought back. The bodies will be sent to the respective villages," Maj. Gen. S.L. Narasimhan told the media here.

The five, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed and four others injured when they came under attack in Jonglei in South Sudan Tuesday.

The Indian Army has contributed to UN peacekeeping operations around the world for over six decades and has currently over 7,000 troops on four missions.