Anna Bhagya delayed as Union food, civil supplies minister denies rice

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

After Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Piyush Goyal is said to have categorically refused to supply rice for the state government’s ambitious Anna Bhagya distribution scheme, its implementation, which the state government announced would begin from July 1 across the State, is bound to be delayed.

The Centre’s decision was conveyed to the State Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa by none other than Piyush Goyal who met him at Delhi on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, KH Muniyappa said the offer of the Union minister to issue rice to the State under the OMSS D scheme though the state government is ready to pay the fixed price is a knee-jerk reaction.

“The Union government, worried that the scheme will become popular with the masses, has played politics by denying us rice. They have sufficient quantity of rice at the Food Corporation of India warehouses and other central agencies, which will remain after distributing to all state governments under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

But the Union minister refused to provide rice we sought for our scheme,” he said. Though the Union government is playing dirty politics by denying us rice, we will roll out the scheme as we are making all efforts to buy rice from other states, agencies and markets to honour our announcement, he said.

“We are disappointed with the Centre over this politically motivated decision.”

The state government will come out with a clear picture of how it will implement the scheme by providing 10 kg of rice to BPL/ Antyodaya card holders by the end of this week, he said. Meanwhile, reacting to the issue over denial of rice by the Union minister at Bengaluru, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister KH Muniayppa will work out the future course of action soon.

Referring to for mer Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and other BJP leaders' plan to protest if the State fails to roll out Anna Bhagya scheme on July 1, he hit back at the BJP leaders who must protest against the Centre's decision of denying rice instead of training their guns at the state government.