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Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, said that around 1.50 lakh metric tonne rice is available in Chhattisgarh for the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme, but the transportation cost of the rice to Karnataka is high. The chief minister’s remark comes amid continuous attempts to procure rice, after the central government allegedly stalled the supply of wheat and rice to the state.
Talking to reporters in Bengaluru, the chief minister said that he had talked to the Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, but there is no availability of rice there. “Our chief secretary is talking to the Andhra Pradesh chief minister (Jagan Mohan Reddy),” he said.
“I spoke to Telangana chief minister on Thursday, he got back on Friday after getting details. He said there is no availability of rice there. I have asked the chief secretary to speak to Andhra Pradesh. Chhattisgarh is ready to give 1.50 lakh metric tonne, but the rate is a bit high and transport cost is more,” Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said he has convened a meeting of officials to discuss and decide on the further action. Responding to a question on a reported statement by BJP MLA B Y Vijayendra, where the BJP minister alleged that despite rice availability in Karnataka, the government was going to other states — to get commission, the chief minister said: “Ask him (Vijayendra) to get the rice supply done if it is available in the state. Is the rice available in his mill?”
Karnataka is talking to rice-producing states after the central government allegedly stalled the sale of wheat and rice to state governments under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) (OMSSD), which prohibits the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from selling any additional rice to the state for its ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
The Congress-led government in Karnataka has alleged that the Centre, on June 13, discontinued the sale of wheat and rice under OMSS(D) for state governments, a day after the FCI, that has large quantity of stocks, had agreed to provide 2,08,425.750 metric tonne of rice to Karnataka at a rate of ₹34 per kg.
“”It (FCI) agreed to provide 2,08,425 metric tonnes of rice to Karnataka. But, it wrote a letter on June 13 saying that the states can’t be provided wheat or rice under the Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS). The Central government has taken a political decision deciding not to give rice to Karnataka to bring a bad name to the Congress government,” Siddaramaiah claimed.
Siddaramaiah and his cabinet ministers have accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of conspiring to “fail” the Congress administration’s poll guarantee, by ensuring the state doesn’t get the required amount of rice for rolling out the scheme, from July 1.
Accusing the Centre of showing a “stepmotherly attitude” towards Karnataka, food and civil supplies minister K H Muniyappa on Saturday said that they are doing politics in the supply of rice, which will be distributed among the poor, despite the state’s willingness to purchase it at the cost fixed by the dispensation.
“They have large quantities of rice stock. They are ready to sell it through open tender, but not ready to supply it to the state government for distribution among the poor, and are doing politics on the issue,” he said. Stating that the Karnataka government is doing all that is possible to arrange rice for the poor, Muniyappa said: “We are discussing with Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and other places. Our officials have gone there, once they come, I will get the report by this evening. By Monday, we will let you (media) know as to when rice can be supplied.”
“It may take time for transportation from other states. We had announced a date based on FCI assuring us to supply rice from the stock here. They have stepped back on that assurance now,” he said. Once the state government makes arrangements for the required 2,28,000 metric tonne of rice, it will be distributed to the beneficiaries,” the minister added.
(With PTI inputs)
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