The government is set to introduce ‘Bharat rice’ on Tuesday at a subsidised rate of Rs 29 per kg to provide relief amid a 15 per cent rise in retail prices of the grain in the last one year. The subsidised rice will be available in 5 kg and 10 kg packs. According to an official release, Food Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to launch Bharat rice at Kartavya path in the national capital.
The government has resorted to retail sale of FCI rice after it received a lukewarm response for sale of rice to bulk users at the same rate through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
What is Bharat rice?
To check inflationary trends in the food economy, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution decided to start retail sale of ‘Bharat Rice’ to general consumers. In the first phase, 5 LMT of rice has been allocated for retail sale under ‘Bharat Rice’ brand through 3 agencies viz NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar. The domestic prices of rice are increasing despite a good crop this Kharif, ample stocks with FCI and in the pipeline and various regulations in place on Rice exports.
Where will Bharat rice be available?
The Bharat Rice will be available for purchase from mobile vans and physical outlets of the three central co-operative agencies to start with, and it will also be available through other retail chains including e-commerce platforms very soon.
Other commodities being sold at subsidized prices:
The Centre in November last year formally launched the sale of subsidised wheat under the brand name of “Bharat Atta”. It is being sold through cooperatives NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar via 800 mobile vans and 2,000-odd outlets spread across the country. Besides wheat, the Centre is also providing Bharat Dal at Rs 60 per kg and onion at Rs 25 per kg through Kendriya Bhandar, NAFED and NCCF to provide relief to consumers.
