BENGALURU: The Centre has defended the move to discontinue the sale of wheat and rice to the states, with the Department of Food and Public Distribution issuing a clarification in this regard.
As a part of the market intervention programme of the Centre, to control inflationary trends and to rein in rising prices of wheat and rice, it has been decided to undertake open market sale of food grains through the Food Corporation of India.
The first auction would be held on June 28, for FY2023-24. In this Open Market Sale Scheme, the quantity that a bidder can purchase in a single bid ranges from 10-100 MTs. Earlier, the maximum quantity allowed was 3,000 MT per bid for a buyer.
The quantities have been reduced this time to accommodate more small buyers and to ensure a wider reach of the scheme that will facilitate the release of stocks sold under Open Market Sale Scheme to reach the public immediately, it elaborated.