Three central agencies will procure rice for the Karnataka government’s flagship programme Anna Bhagya, amid allegations from the Congress that the Centre is “sabotaging” the programme.
Part of the five poll guarantees of the Karnataka Congress, the Anna Bhagya scheme guarantees 10 kg of free rice to each member of households who come under Below Poverty Line (BPL).
According to a New Indian Express report, the 2.28 lakh tonnes of rice required for the scheme is likely to be sourced by The National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and Kendriya Bhandara.
The rice will be sourced from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, as there is a lack of adequate stock available in Karnataka, the report added.
Officials from the agencies agreed to procure rice from traders and rice mills at Rs 34 per kg, at a high-powered meeting held by chief minister Siddaramaiah and food and civil supplies minister K H Muniyappa on Saturday.
The state government will bear the cost of transportation and pay a commission of around 1 percent to the agencies.
CM Siddaramaiah had alleged that the BJP government at the centre is “sabotaging” Anna Bhagya and asserted that the 10 scheme of its state government would be implemented at the earliest, “come what may”.
In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged it is nothing but Karnataka’s ‘durbhagya‘ (misfortune) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “punishing the poor of the state for voting to secure their future”.
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