Despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s avowed allegiance to AHINDA (minorities-backward classes-dalits), over five lakh students belonging to these segments will get half their daily quota of food in their hostels till September-end.
A minimum of 10 kg rice and 5 kg wheat is required for each student for a month. But the state has managed to get just half the required amount under the BPL quota from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.
According to a letter, written by the Social Welfare Department commissioner on August 6 to the Food Corporation of India, the Union ministry has allotted 1.41 crore kg rice and 70.75 lakh kg wheat for 5,10,751 students for the first half of the current fiscal year. An official source said: “The minimum requirement of rice and wheat for six months is 3.06 crore kg and 1.53 crore kg, respectively.”
Students of these hostels were given sufficient quantity of rice by the deputy commissioner from other agencies for July, with a rider that the rice must be returned after the hostels get their allocation. With the allocation coming through now, the quantity of rice that was diverted has to be returned, the source pointed out. This will further widen the gap between the requirement and allocation.
Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya told Express: “I have been told about the problem. I shall issue an order directing my staff to buy the required quantity of foodgrains from the open market. There is no shortage of funds. I will ensure the students’ stomachs are full.”