Mysuru: With just two days to go for the new month to begin after the budget was presented by
chief minister HD
Kumaraswamy, confusion surrounds the quantity of free rice for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families under the
Anna Bhagya scheme.
However, B Z
Zameer Ahmed Khan, minister, department of food and civil supplies, made it clear that there was no reduction in quantity, and people would continue to get 7kg of free rice.
It started with chief minister HD Kumaraswamy announcing in his maiden budget speech that free rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme would be reduced from 7kg to 5kg per person. In July, beneficiaries were allotted 7kg and were informed that starting August, the budget proposal would be implemented.
With the state legislature approving the new budget, confusion surrounding the exact quantity of free rice started haunting the authorities as well as the beneficiaries.
An officer from the department of food and civil supplies told TOI that confusion regarding the quantity of free rice continues, as the department is yet to issue an official intimation in this regard. “The stock for the month of August has already reached all the districts. But officials from Bengaluru are yet to issue directions on the quantity of foodgrains to be distributed to beneficiaries,” explained an officer who wished to be unnamed.
“The problem is that beneficiaries have already started asking us. We are not in a position to reply. We are also waiting for government directions,” he explained.
However, Khan said there is no cut in quantity. “Following the budget speech, ex-CM
Siddaramaiah and I wrote to the
CM in this regard. We explained to him the importance of continuing with 7kg of free rice per person under the Anna Bhagya scheme. There are no further developments. Beneficiaries will get 7kg in August,” he said.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries want the authorities to clear the air at the earliest. Sarojamma, a vegetable vendor from Nanjumalige Circle, said, “This kind of confusion allows fair price shop owners to cheat us. The government must make details public at the earliest. It should not reduce the quantity.”
Foodgrains to Kerala
Zameer Ahmed Khan said that on the request of AICC state in-charge KC Venugopal, he had supplied 50,000kg of rice, 10,000kg of sugar and 50,000 sachets of ready-to-eat sambar mix to flood victims of Kerala. “I supplied these materials to flood victims from my personal funds. Venugopal requested that we extend a helping hand,” he said.
