The Congress led UDF government in Kerala is all set to launch providing of rice for one rupee per kilogram on Saturday. AIR correspondent reports, Defence minister A K Antony will be launching the programme at Thiruvananthapuram benefiting twenty lakh ration card holders and inmates of approved orphanages of the state. AIR correspondent reports, as promised by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the election manifesto, rice for poor at one rupee is getting launched within first 100 days of UDF government in Kerala. Fourteen lakh and sixty thousand BPL families and about six lakh APL families are to get 25 kg of rice at one rupee per kilogram every month. Each inmate of approved orphanages will be given 5 kg rice. Provision of 35 kg rice under Andyodaya anna yojana is also part of the pro-poor scheme and the state needs 57,000 tonnes of rice to make it successful. Union Food Minister Prof K V Thomas will be launching another scheme to issue ration cards on the day of application itself at the function. Apart from this, the Chief Minister will distribute free food grain kits to poor people for Onam and Ramzan festivals incurring nineteen crore rupees.