Centre agrees to provide rice to Karnataka govt, beneficiaries to soon get rice

BENGALURU: After nearly a year, the stand-off between the state govt and the Centre has been resolved, with the Union govt agreeing to supply the rice required to implement the Congress-led govt’s Anna Bhagya scheme in Karnataka.
Prahlad Joshi, the Union minister for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution, has confirmed that the Centre will provide the requisite quantities of rice as soon as the state govt places an order.
The Centre has expressed its willingness to supply the rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
The breakthrough follows a meeting between Karnataka’s food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa and Joshi in New Delhi last week, during which Muniyappa reminded the Centre of the state’s pending request for rice supply under OMSS for the Anna Bhagya scheme.
Joshi clarified the Centre was unable to supply rice last year due to concerns over dwindling stocks, triggered by a severe drought across the country.
Karnataka needs 2,36,000 tonnes of rice to fulfil the Anna Bhagya scheme that promises to provide 5 kg of free rice monthly to each member of families below the poverty line (BPL).
“We have ensured the required stock of rice for Karnataka’s Anna Bhagya scheme and are ready to sup- ply it if the state govt places an order. There is enough stock to implement the welfare schemes in other states as well,” Joshi said. The Centre has also reduced the price of rice from Rs 29 per kg to Rs 28 under OMSS. Joshi emphasised that this price reduction applies to all states procuring rice for their respective welfare schemes.
The Anna Bhagya scheme is one of the five guarantees issued by the Congress party ahead of the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka.
Originally intended to provide an additional 5 kg of free rice monthly to each member in BPL families, supplementing the 5 kg already provided under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the scheme faced delays as the state govt blamed the Centre over what the former termed as “denial of rice.”
Chief minister Siddaramaiah had repeatedly accused the Centre of obstructing Food Corporation of India (FCI) from supplying rice, despite the state offering to pay Rs 34 per kg. The Congress even staged a statewide protest against the Centre on this issue.
Due to nonavailability of rice, the state govt was compelled to provide Rs 170 in cash to each beneficiary in lieu of 5 kg of rice. However, this impasse now appears to have been resolved.
“We were hopeful of getting a positive response as we approached Joshi, who represents our state. Now that he has assured us of supplying rice, we will start distributing it to the beneficiaries once the ongoing process of issuing BPL cards to new applicants is over,” Muniyappa explained.