Protest In Karnataka, Congress And BJP Spar Over Rice Supply

On Tuesday, the opposition BJP and the ruling Congress both held protests in different parts of the state as the politics surrounding the supply of rice to Karnataka heated up.

The BJP-led Central government is accused by the Congress of withholding food from the Karnataka government’s Anna Bhagya plan by staging protests in every district headquarters of the state.

While organising rallies in several parts of the state against the Congress government’s alleged inability to give 10 kg of rice to each member of the BPL family, numerous BJP officials, including former CM Basavaraj Bommai, were detained.

The leaders of the Congress held a protest in the state capital while it was pouring heavily.

Speaking to a crowd, Deputy Chief Minister and State President of the Congress D K Shivakumar asserted that despite efforts by the BJP-led NDA government to “disrupt” the Anna Bhagya plan, the state government will keep its election pledge.

He claimed that the Centre was “anti-poor” and that it was impeding the implementation of the programme to supply rice to the less fortunate.

The Congress has pledged to increase the amount of rice provided to households in the economically disadvantaged portion from five kilogrammes to ten kilogrammes per person.

However, the state has only been able to offer five kg of rice to each member of the BPL families so far, which is being supplied by the Centre.

Although Karnataka stated that it was prepared to purchase the additional five kilogramme from government organisations like the Food Corporation of India, government Warehousing Corporation, and NAFED, the Centre claimed that it was unable to do so.

The selling of rice and wheat to state governments under the Open Market selling Scheme (OMSS) was recently suspended by the union government.

According to an order issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the sale of wheat and rice under the OMSS (domestic) for state governments is discontinued. However, the sale of rice under the OMSS will be continued for northeastern states, hilly states and states facing law and order situations, natural calamities at an existing rate of Rs 3,400 per quintal, it said.

The decision was made in the midst of delayed monsoon progress and rising rice and wheat prices. According to government data, rice prices at the mandi level have grown by up to 10% over the past year and by 8% over the past month.

According to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the state needed 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice. The FCI had agreed on June 12 to provide the required quantity of rice but two days later, it backtracked, he alleged.

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