30 kg rice at Rs 1 for poor families in Karnataka

Bangalore, May 13: Thirty kg of rice per month will be sold at Re.1 per kg for BPL (below poverty line) families across Karnataka from June 1, newly sworn-in state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced here Monday.

"The subsidised rice scheme will benefit 9.82 million (98 lakh) BPL families living in rural and urban areas and will cost the exchequer Rs.460 crore (Rs.4.6 billion)," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Vidhana Soudha soon after assuming office.

Asserting that the promises made in the Congress's election manifesto were not empty but a commitment to the people of the state, the new chief minister said all the policies and programmes would be implemented during the next four years.

"We will ensure to implement all the promises made in the manifesto in the next four years. Some of them will be included in the state budget which we will present for this fiscal next month," Siddaramaiah added.

IANS