BENGALURU: The Congress government in Karnataka is facing a daunting task in fulfilling its promise of 10kgs of rice per head, under the Anna Bhagya guarantee scheme, to each BPL family and Antyodaya Anna Yojana card holder. The Centre’s decision to discontinue the sale of wheat and rice from the Food Corporation of India to states under the Open Market Sale Scheme-Domestic (OMSS-D) has come as a bolt from the blue.
Interestingly, Siddaramaiah is eager to lead a delegation, if necessary, to neighbouring states for negotiations to procure rice at a reasonable cost. According to Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, the operation to procure rice has already begun. “We are putting in all efforts to launch the guarantee scheme on July 1, as promised,” they told reporters after the cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday.
Siddaramaiah and his colleagues have been working out options to procure 2.28 lakh tonnes of rice at a price similar to FCI’s Rs 3,400 per quintal, which amounts to Rs 775.25 crore per month.
According to Muniyappa, the Karnataka government will not procure rice from the open market, but will try to procure it from government agencies in neighbouring states, especially Telangana. Government secretaries are also in touch with their counterparts in Telangana, and a batch of officials has already moved there for negotiations. “We will not go for the open market as there are government agencies such as consumer and marketing federations, and we have procured foodgrains from them in the past.
The government will also think about distributing ragi and jowar along with rice,” he said. “There is no question of transferring money to beneficiaries, as we have promised to give foodgrains,” he clarified, replying to BJP’s suggestion. Muniyappa blamed the Centre, saying it had not adhered to the spirit of federalism.
According to experts, the government can manage to supply grains for one or two months, but may not be able to sustain the scheme for long. Ultimately, rice returning to the black market for recycling, as had happened in the past, cannot be ruled out, they said.
Congress leaders attack BJP
As the rice war with the Centre heats up, Congress is trying to turn the narrative against the BJP. AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala was quick to attack the BJP. “Why has the State BJP “taped its mouth” over such blatant denial of free rice to SCs, STs, OBCs and poor? Does their silence mean that they are the ones who nudged and pleaded with the Modi Govt to issue the anti-poor order for denial of sale of rice by FCI to Karnataka? (sic),” he tweeted.
He also questioned the Janata Dal (Secular). “Why is BJP’s ‘B Team’ the JD(S) silent on this anti-poor and anti-Karnataka policy decision of Modi Govt?” he tweeted.