Congress to stage protests against Centre for ‘conspiracy to deny rice’

The Congress in Karnataka has announced that it will stage protests across all district headquarters on Tuesday against the BJP-led Central government for “denying” rice for the State’s Anna Bhagya Scheme. This scheme provides about 10 kilograms of rice to each member of families below the poverty line.
In an order issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Centre recently discontinued the sale of rice and wheat from the central pool under the Open Market  Scheme (OMSS) to state governments. However, the sale of rice under the OMSS will continue in northeastern states and hill states, as well as states currently facing law and order situations, and natural calamities at an existing rate of Rs 3,400 per quintal. The move comes amid the slow progress of the monsoon and rising prices of rice and wheat. According to official data rice prices have increased up to 10 percent in the last year and by 8 percent in the last month in state-run Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis. Deputy Chief Minister and Congress state president D K Shivakumar on Monday said that the protest was against the Centre for “troubling the state government by denying rice.
The Centre has decided to trouble us so that we cannot give rice to the poor people. We are not asking them to give us rice free of cost. There has been a system from the beginning. If there was rice in the central warehouses, it was given to those demanding it.”
Shivakumar added: “We will stage a demonstration across all the district headquarters in the state tomorrow. We have asked our leaders to participate. I will also participate in the agitation in Bengaluru.” Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state needs 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice to fulfil its “guarantee” scheme of 10 kilograms rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme. “Only Chhattisgarh has offered us 1.5 lakh metric tonnes. Nowhere else is rice in such a huge quantity available, including Punjab.” On 9 June, he added, the state government had written to the FCI about the state’s requirement for rice.
Days later on 12 June, the FCI responded “favourably” and stated that it had adequate rice to meet Karnataka’s demand. However, the Chief Minister alleged, the FCI turned down the state’s request two days later. “What should we call this? Isn’t it politics? They are indulging in politics using rice meant for the poor.
This is a big conspiracy by the Centre to deny rice to the poor because it will come in favour of Congress.” An additional five kilograms of rice to each member of the BPL families costs the state government almost Rs 840 crore per month and comes up to Rs 10,092 crore annually, Siddaramaiah said. “We are ready to bear the cost and give rice to the people. The Centre is not giving us rice despite having it,” the Chief Minister charged. As per the Congress, the state does not have adequate stocks of ragi or maize to supply five kilograms to members of BPL families. The Chief Minister added that the state could only supply two kilograms of ragi and maize each “at most” to beneficiaries for a period of six months. Karnataka has also approached the National Consumer Cooperative Federation, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, and the Central Warehousing Corporation to procure rice, Siddaramaiah said. The Chief Minister said the state government would implement the Anna Bhagya at any cost and decried the “politics” being played by the Centre.
Rajna