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As the Government of Karnataka is having difficulty procuring the large quantities of rice required to fulfill the poll guarantee, it has decided to pay the beneficiaries in cash at the rate of 34 rupees per kilo, for an additional 5 kg of food grain promised under the ‘Ana Bhagya’ scheme.
Congress, in its election manifesto, promised to provide an additional five kilograms of rice per month in addition to the five kilograms provided by the Center for free.
The state government said the disbursement of funds would begin on July 1.
Prime Minister Siddaramaiah said after a Cabinet meeting here on Wednesday that the government has decided to launch an open market tender for the purchase of rice, whose operation will start from Thursday.
Briefing reporters, the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, K. H. Munyappa, said, “The standard rate of FCI (Food Corporation of India) is Rs 34 per kg of rice. We tried to get rice but no establishment came forward to provide us with the required amount of rice (to be served in form). extra)”. He said, “Since the release date of Anna Bagia (July 1) has arrived and we have given word, today in the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and other ministers have come to a decision that until that time rice is provided, we will give money at the rate of Rs 34 per kilogram, which is the FCI rate, for ration card holders (BPL). The minister explained that if there was one person on one card, he would get 170 rupees per month for an additional five kilograms of rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme.
He added that two people on the ration card would get 340 rupees and if there were five members they would get 850 rupees a month.
Munyappa said the government had made arrangements for the amount to be deposited directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries.
This will come into effect from the first of July itself. This is one of the important guarantees promised by our party. “We took this decision in the first meeting of the Council of Ministers after we came to power,” the minister said.
The Government of Karnataka asserted that it had tried to give an additional five kilograms of rice to BPL families for free under the Anna Bhagya Scheme except for the five kilograms provided by the Centre. It claimed that the Union government did not cooperate.
Siddaramaiah said the money will go to the head of the family’s account.
“If there is one person then he will get 170 rupees, and if there are two people then 170 x 2, then there are four then the head of the family will get 170 x 4 rupees,” he said.
The Prime Minister added that five kilos of rice, in addition to five kilos of rice, were provided by the center. We have said that we will give 10 kilograms of rice. Already the concentrate gives five kilograms. “We will give an extra five kilograms of rice,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also blamed the center for “depriving Karnataka to provide rice to help overcome hunger despite having huge stocks”.
The Karnataka government had approached the FCI, which had initially agreed to sell 2.28 lakh metric tons of rice every month at 34 rupees per kilogram on June 12 but backtracked citing different requirements on June 14, allegedly.
“They had stock. If we had ordered for free their refusal would have been fine but we were willing to pay for it. We don’t negotiate either. They indulge in hate politics. It is an attack with mace on the poor. “It is an injustice to the poor,” Siddaramaiah claimed.
He charged that the FCI is auctioning rice to be sold to individuals but states are not entitled to participate in the auction.
“Look at their abusive intentions. Countries can only have individuals participate in the auction. This means that they have huge stocks of rice. Just to thwart our program, they are depriving us of rice meant for the poor.”
The Karnataka government had approached three central government agencies – the National Cooperative Consumers’ Union of India Limited, the National Agricultural Marketing Cooperative and Kendria Bhandar – to supply rice at 34 rupees per kilogram, but they quoted a high price, officials alleged.
Attacking BJP leaders in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said former BJP Chief Minister P.J.
“These leaders had to put pressure on the center because it (Ana Bhagya) is a popular programme. Do not come in the way of such an initiative. Do not indulge in hate politics and release the rice,” Siddaramaiah said.
The prime minister further said that he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah while Munyappa called Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal who also refused to give rice to Karnataka.
Hence, we will go to the open market auction. I have been instructed to start the operation tomorrow itself.”
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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