Karnataka Govt To Provide Additional 5 kgs Of Rice Under Anna Bhagya Scheme From Feb

The Karnataka government will begin providing an additional five kilograms of rice from February under the pre-poll Anna Bhagya guarantee, State Minister K H Muniyappa said on Wednesday.

The Congress government had promised to provide 10 kgs of rice every month to each member of families falling below the poverty line (BPL). This includes 5 kgs of rice supplied by the Centre under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

However, due to an inadequate supply of food grains, the state government had been transferring Rs 170 to beneficiaries' bank accounts in place of the additional rice, a practice that continued until January, according to the minister.

The Congress government had accused the Centre of attempting to sabotage the Anna Bhagya scheme by withholding rice, despite sufficient stocks being available in Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses. "From February, we will provide 5 kgs of rice per beneficiary every month instead of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)," Muniyappa told reporters. The minister stated that the state government would require 2.1 lakh tonne of rice each month, costing Rs 536.71 crore.

"We will procure rice from the FCI at Rs 22.5 per kg. We have discussed this with Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pralhad Joshi," Muniyappa said. He added that Joshi had assured him that the Centre would supply rice consistently for the next two years.

According to Muniyappa, the Centre procures rice from various states at Rs 40 per kg, which includes transportation costs. With the Centre agreeing to provide rice at Rs 22.5 per kg, the state government will save Rs 150 crore to Rs 190 crore, he said. Anna Bhagya scheme was one of the five key poll promises made by the Congress ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2023.