We’ll pay Rs 170 per person towards 5 kg of rice till we arrange stocks: CM Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday lashed out at the Centre yet again over the issue of availability of additional rice for the Anna Bhagya scheme and said his government will pay the beneficiaries towards 5 kg of rice till adequate stocks are available.

Speaking to media persons, the CM said rice was being made available to the state at Rs 34 per kg and Rs 170 per head will be paid to BPL and Antyodaya card holders till the state arranges for the additional 5 kg of rice. “We will make the payment through direct benefit transfer till the time we get enough rice. We will pay the beneficiaries as long as it takes”, he said.

The CM said the Union government is not providing rice despite having adequate stocks. “Earlier, they had agreed to provide rice, but then reneged. We did not ask them for free rice nor at discounted prices. The Centre is indulging in politics and doing injustice to the poor”, he said.

Ten kg of rice for BPL and Antyodaya card holders was one of the Congress promises.

The CM pointed out that the Centre has allowed auction of rice to private parties and added that states were not allowed to participate. “This is done with ill intention. The Centre is trying to scuttle our welfare programme. Right from B S Yediyurappa, opposition leaders had said the government should provide money towards the additional 5 kg of rice and we will do it”, he noted.

Siddaramaiah recalled that he had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had promised to speak to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal. “Shah said he will direct the Food Corporation of India (FCI), but nothing happened. We had sought quotations from NCCF, NAFED and Kendriya Bhandara. Even in April, they had supplied rice at Rs 32.94 per kg, but now they are not ready”, he said.

The CM declared that the government will start procurement of rice from the open market from Thursday itself, saying that they will deliver on the promise made to people. “The Centre is giving 5 kg of rice and we will give and additional 5 kg of rice. We need about 2.29 lakh tons per month, but we are not getting rice. We will buy from the open market in a transparent manner”, he said.

Pointing out that the Food Security Act was introduced by the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh, Siddaramaiah said, “In my previous term as Chief Minister, we were giving 7 kg of rice, but the BJP government in the state reduced it to 5 kg. We had promised 10 kg of rice and till we can arrange stocks, we will pay the beneficiaries”, he added.

Responding to former CM H D Kumaraswamy’s tweet, in which he alleged corruption in transfers, Siddaramaiah remarked that the former may have been referring to the corruption during his time in office.