Karnataka announces launch of free rice programme from July 1

Bengaluru: Putting an end to all speculations on launch of its flagship Anna Bhagya scheme envisaging 10 kg free rice for all members of BPL cardholders' families, Karnataka's Congress government on Wednesday announced that the scheme would be implemented from July 1.

The government will provide five kg rice and it will transfer the money through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for another five kg rice, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Wednesday, adding that Rs 170 will go for each member of the families having BPL cards.

The money would be transferred to the account of the head of the family of BPL cardholders through DBT and the arrangement will be in place until the government finds the supply of rice.

The decision is taken in the backdrop of non-availability of rice.

“We have promised to provide rice under the Food Security Act which ensures the right to food. The act was brought by the Congress-led UPA government, not by the BJP or the NDA. We have promised and we need to keep our word. Until the rice is available, it might be 1, 2 or 3 months, the government would transfer the money through DBT,” Siddaramaiah said.

He said that their government is going for an open tender and it will take a minimum of 60 days. Whenever the rice is made available, the DBT cash would be stopped and rice will be given, he said.

“Only paddy is available in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh has only 50,000 tonnes of rice, Punjab is saying that they would provide rice from November, Chhattisgarh stated they have 1.5 lakh metric tonnes for one month. We require 2.20 lakh metric tonnes of rice every month to provide 10 kg of free rice. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is providing rice for Rs 36.60 per kg including the transportation cost of Rs 2.60,” the CM said.

The government had kept this rate of the FCI as the yardstick for the money component, coming to Rs 170 for each person.

“We had promised that from July 1, free rice would be given. The Central government provides five kg and the state would give another five kg, in total the beneficiary will get 10 kg of free rice,” he explained.

Siddaramaiah noted that former CMs B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai challenged his government to give money to people if rice is not provided and said that they should have pressured the Central government to provide rice.

"This is a programme devised for the poor. Politics of hate should not be carried out.

“I had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and spoke about supply of rice to the state. He promised that he would speak to the minister concerned but that did not happen. Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa met Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Piyush Goyal in this regard and he was told no,” he said.

“We have invited quotations from the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the Kendriya Bhandar. They have quoted higher prices and all are Central government agencies,” he said.

The move is seen as a setback to the BJP, which was planning to stage a protest if Congress failed to launch the free rice scheme from July 1. It was also planning to question the government in an assembly session which is taking place from July 4.

Former CM Yediyurappa had also announced strike in the premises of the Vidhana Soudha. With the Congress announcing the launch of the scheme, the BJP will have to plan a new strategy to counter the ruling Congress, which is already brimming with confidence by successful implementation of Shakthi, free travel for women on buses.