Amid a political slugfest over the discontinuation of the sale of rice and wheat from the Central pool to State governments, the Government on Thursday said the decision was not “deliberate” and was only aimed at controlling retail inflation in food grains.
The Centre, in a notification sent to the States on June 13, stopped the sale of rice and wheat from the Central pool under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to State governments. The move is likely to hit some States, particularly Karnataka, which has promised free rice to its citizens under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
Under the scheme, the Karnataka Government has promised to provide 10 kg of food grains/rice to every member of a Below Poverty Line (BPL) household and Antyodaya card holders every month. With the Centre’s decision, it now remains to be seen if the State will be able to implement the scheme from July 1 as decided.
