Hyderabad, Jun 8 (IANS): Nine special food processing zones will come up in Telangana, the state Cabinet decided at its meeting on Tuesday.

The zones will come up in old districts, except in Hyderabad.

Rice mills and other food processing industries will be set up in not less than 250 acres in each zone.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that so far 84 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured. He instructed Chief secretary Somesh Kumar and the District Collectors to complete the procurement of the remaining paddy immediately.

The Cabinet also decided to sanction 4,46,169 pending ration card applications. It instructed the officials concerned to issue the ration cards within 15 days.

The Cabinet has taken a decision to constitute a Sub Committee to deal with ration dealers' commission and other issues in the public distribution system.

Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar will be the Chairman and ministers T. Harish Rao, T. Srinivas Yadav, Sabita Indra Reddy, and Indrakaran Reddy would be the members.

The state cabinet has also decided to appoint a sub committee to review the situation in government hospitals, staff and other infrastructure facilities.A

Finance minister Harish Rao would be the Chairman of the committee and other members include ministers Jagadeeshwar Reddy, Srinivas Yadav, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Sabita Indra Reddy, and Satyavathi Rathod.

The Cabinet has asked the Sub Committee to tour Kerala, and Tamil Nadu where better medical treatment is given as well as Sri Lanka, to study the situation and submit a report.