BJP wants to derail Anna Bhagya Scheme: Rai

Mangaluru: Congress workers from various parts of Dakshina Kannada staged a protest on Tuesday with rice plates in their hands accusing the Centre of denying rice to Karnataka for Anna Bhagya scheme.
At the protest in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha, former minister B Ramanath Rai said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had positively responded to the state’s request for additional rice to its flagship programme of supplying 10kg free rice for the BPL card holders.
“The Congress government in the past had initiated Anna Bhagya offering 7kg rice free for BPL card holders. Normally, FCI supplies rice to states and the respective state governments decide on the distribution through a public distribution system. It is a conspiracy of the central government to derail the Anna Bhagya scheme announced by the Congress in Karnataka,” Rai alleged.
Former MLA J R Lobo said that the Centre deprives people of food security by denying additional rice. “By denying rice to the state, the BJP has proved that they are following anti-people policies,” Lobo said. TNN