New Delhi: Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday said Kerala will not have to pay for the rice supplied as part of flood relief efforts.

The minister told the media that the cost would be deducted from the state's share of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

The Department of Food and Public Distribution had allocated 89,540 tonnes of rice to Kerala following the August floods. A controversy erupted following reports that the state would need to pay Rs 25 per kg. Clearing the air, Paswan said the centre would not bill the state.

The Kerala government had sought 1.14 lakh tonnes of rice, equivalent of its monthly distribution through the public distribution, from the Centre. The request was made while prime minister Narendra Modi visited the state to take stock of the flood situation.