A file photo of Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivakumar and M.B. Patil unveiling the Anna Bhagya scheme pre-elections at party office in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL
Unable to procure the required quantity of rice to implement the Anna Bhagya scheme, Karnataka government has decided to pay ₹34 per kg to the beneficiaries. This will apply to five kg per person in the BPL and Antyodaya card holding families.
The cash will be transferred through DBT, starting from July 1. This is being seen as a temporary alternative till enough rice stock is raised through a tender to be floated shortly.
The decision was taken at the State Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, June 28.The meeting had been convened to take a call on rescheduling the launch date of the Anna Bhagya scheme as the State government is yet to finalise the price of rice to be bought for the scheme and the supplier.
Karnataka is looking at procuring 2.29 lakh metric tonnes a month to implement the Anna Bhagya scheme that entails providing 5 kg rice over the 5 kg already being given under the National Food Security Act per person. With the Union government’s Food Corporation of India (FCI) refusing to sell rice to Karnataka, the government is yet to find an alternative supplier.
The Cabinet also decided on July 14 as the tentative date to start applying for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, according to Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil on Wednesday. The scheme entails monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000 to woman head of the family. More details will be shared by Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar later.
Both Anna Bhagya and Gruha Lakshmi are among the five pre-poll guarantees given by the Congress.