Govt rejects TN, K'taka demand for rice at cheap rate

THE Union government has refused to give in to the demand of southern states to participate in the open market sales scheme (OMSS) of rice and wheat. The Central government has said its primary objective is to control food grain inflation to give relief to the 60 crore population dependent on the market for grains.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY

The Centre’s decision has put states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the receiving end. These states needed extra grains to meet the demand of their various schemes and were willing to participate in the open market sales scheme.

The Tamil Nadu government requires extra 20,000 metric tonnes of rice from the Food Corporation of India to support its universal food security programme. Recently, after returning to power, the Congress-led Karnataka government planned to provide free 10 kg rice to the eligible ‘below poverty line’ families under its ambitious ‘Anna Bhagya Programme‘. For this, the Karnataka government required 2.28 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of rice.