With the press of a button, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah officially launched the Anna Bhagya 2.0 scheme through which low-income families would be given Rs 170 in lieu of 5 kilograms of rice. This direct bank transfer to nearly 1.30 crore families is being given after Karnataka was unable to procure food grains from the Centre.
The Congress had promised 10 kg of rice per BPL (Below Poverty Line) family under the Anna Bhagya scheme and later clarified that it would be a 50-50 ratio where the state would provide 5 kg and procure another 5 kg from the Centre. The amount has been calculated based on the Food Corporation of India’s standard rate of Rs 34 per kg of rice.
The original version of the Anna Bhagya scheme was rolled out in 2013 during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as chief minister. While launching this Anna Bhagya DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) scheme, the CM lashed out at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
“We, the Congress, are trying to fill the stomachs of the hungry, but this effort seems to be making the stomachs of the opposition burn with jealousy,” he said.
When asked how long this DBT would continue, the chief minister exclusively told News18 that “as long as the food grains aren’t being made available by the Centre”.
“Even though we have information that the Food Corporation of India has surplus food grains in the godowns, they have not parted with their share. We are coming up with people-friendly schemes, and the BJP is trying to scuttle them. We promised that by July 10 we will roll out the Anna Bhagya scheme, and today we have done it, right on target on the promised day,” he added.
According to food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa, the beneficiaries under this scheme will receive the amount within 15 days, and the first batch of people who will benefit are from Kolar and Mysuru. The rest of the regions will be rolled out over the next few weeks.
It is said that the Congress, after coming to power, had attempted to procure 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice from the Food Corporation of India, as the central government had issued directions to the FCI to sell rice in the open market. The Karnataka government has called for a tender to purchase rice from the open market. Meanwhile, it planned to transfer money in lieu of the food grains, state government officials explained.
“The state also tried to procure from other neighbouring rice-growing states, but they too had a shortage and could not provide the same,” Siddaramaiah explained.
When asked by News18 about the possibility of misuse of the money transferred to the beneficiaries, the CM said, “Those who are hungry and looking to fill their stomachs will never cheat or misuse.”
The BJP, which had held protests in front of the Vidhana Soudha led by former chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai when the Congress failed to launch the Anna Bhagya scheme on July 1, also threatened to launch a statewide protest if the government failed to meet its deadline again.
The Congress also plans to roll out the Gruha Lakshmi scheme on August 16, through which the woman head of a family will be given Rs 2,000 per month from the government.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar stressed that based on the five guarantees — Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi (Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family), Anna Bhagya (10 kg of free food grains), Yuva Nahi (Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates), and Shakti (free bus travel for women) — the government is giving a benefit of Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 per family.
“We will keep our promise and deliver each of them and make Karnataka a model state,” he said.
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