Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the Central government of playing dirty politics over the supply of wheat and rice to the state government. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) initially agreed to provide additional 5 kg of rice for each member of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the state under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme but turned down the request later. Officials from the FCI informed the Chief Minister that they have sufficient quantity of rice to fulfill the request.
The Chief Minister claimed that the request was denied by the FCI after the Union Food Ministry and the Consumer Supply Ministry wrote letters to the Chairman and MD of the FCI to stop the supply of rice and wheat to Karnataka. He plans to raise the issue of rice supply to the state with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Siddaramaiah is currently in Delhi, where he met President Droupadi Murmu and called on Home Minister Shah. He also met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The Chief Minister criticized the Centre’s actions, saying they played dirty politics, hate politics, isn’t it?
The ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme was launched in 2013 to provide subsidized rice to BPL families at a cost of Rs. 1 per kg. Under the scheme, priority ration cardholders get 7 kg of rice per person and BPL cardholders get an additional 5 kg of rice.
Karnataka has been facing a shortage of rice supply due to crop damage caused by floods and heavy rains in 2019. The state government had requested the Centre to provide additional rice to tackle the crisis, but the Centre’s response has been disappointing, according to the Chief Minister.
