The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal launched the sale of Rice under ‘Bharat’ brand and flagged off 100 mobile vans here today.
While addressing the event, Shri Goyal said the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is sensitive towards the needs of the people of the country. It is under his watch that price of essential commodities is being kept in check.
The Union Minister said the Government of India is committed towards welfare of farmers as well as people of the country. The Central government purchases essential commodities from farmers and sells them to consumers at subsidised rates whenever in need.
The launch of retail sale of ‘Bharat’ Rice will increase supplies in the market at affordable rates and will help in continued moderation of prices of this important food item. This is the latest among a series of steps taken by the Government of India towards the welfare of consumers.
‘Bharat’ Rice will be available at all physical and mobile outlets of Kendriya Bhandar, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) from today and will be expanded to other retail outlets and e- commerce platforms. ‘Bharat’ brand rice will be sold in family friendly 5 Kg and 10 Kg Bags. Bharat Rice will be sold at maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs. 29/kg.
Bharat Atta is already being sold by these 3 agencies @ Rs. 27.50 per Kg in 5Kg and 10 Kg packsfrom their physical retail outlets, mobile vans as well as through some other retail networks and e commerce platforms. Similarly, Bharat Dal (chana dal) is also being sold by these 3 agencies @ Rs.60 per kg for 1kg pack and Rs.55 per kg for 30 kg pack along with onions @ Rs.25 per kg. Apart from these 3 agencies, state- controlled cooperatives of Telangana, Maharastra and Gujarat are also involved in retail sale of Bharat Dal. With the launch of sale of ‘Bharat’ Rice, consumers can get rice, atta, dal as well as onions from these outlets at fair and affordable prices.
Under the overall umbrella of PMGKAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana),farmers, general consumers, over 80 crore beneficiaries under the Targeted Public Distribution System, as well as other groups like school children, children in anganwadis, adolescent girls, children in hostels etc. are receiving benefits in different ways.
For the farmers, GoI fixes MSP (Minimum Support Price) of food grains, pulses as well as coarse grains and millets. Nationwide procurement operations are undertaken to implement the PSS (Price Support Scheme) which ensures the benefit of MSP to farmers. In RMS 23-24, 262 LMT of wheat was procured from 21.29 lakh farmers at the declared MSP of Rs.2125 per quintal. The total value of procured wheat was Rs.55679.73 crores. In KMS 22-23, 569 LMT of rice was procured from 124.97 lakh farmers at the declared MSP of Rs. 2060 per quintal for Grade ‘A’ paddy. The total value of procured rice was Rs. 1,74,368.70 crores. In KMS 23-24, 414 LMT rice has been procured till 04.02.2024 from about 77.93 lakh farmers at the declared MSP of Rs 2203 per quintal for Grade ‘A’ paddy. The total value of procured rice is Rs.1,36,034 crore.
The procured wheat and rice is offered completely free of cost under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) through a network of about 5.38 lakh FPS in the country to about 80.7 crore PDS beneficiaries. PMGKAY has been extended for a further 5 years till 31.12.2028 in a historic decision, thereby providing continuity to one of the largest food and nutrition security programs in the world. Further, about 7.37 LMT of coarse grains/millets were also procured at MSP and distributed under TPDS/Other Welfare Schemes in 22-23. In the current year, about 6.34 LMT coarsegrains/millets have been procured and procurement is still going on.
Many measures are taken for the benefit of consumers who are not covered under TPDS. Sale of ‘Bharat Atta’, ‘Bharat Dal’, ‘Bharat Rice’, tomatoes and Onions at affordable and fair prices is one such measure. So far, 2,75,936 MT of Bharat Atta, 2,96,802 MT of Chana dal and 3,04,40,547 Kg of Onion has already been sold, benefitting ordinary consumers.
Food Corporation of India (FCI) is conducting Nationwide weekly e-auctions for sale of wheat under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic [OMSS(D)]. Only wheat processors (Atta chakkis /roller flour mills) can participate in these weekly e-auctions. FCI is offering FAQ and URS Wheat for sale @Rs. 2150 and 2125 per quintal respectively, in accordance with the prices fixed by Government. Traders are not allowed to participate in the e-auction as the intent of the Government is to ensure that purchased wheat is directly processed and released to ordinary consumers at affordable prices. Each bidder can take upto 400 MT in the weekly e-auction. FCI is offering 5 LMT of wheat for sale in the weekly e-auctions under OMSS (D) at this time. So far, 75.26 LMT of wheat has already been released into the open market by FCI as per Government directions.
Government of India has significantly increased the total amount of wheat to be offered for sale under OMSS (D) to 101.5 LMT till March 2024, instead of 57 LMT till December 2023 as part of a series of measures taken to moderate wheat prices. A further quantity of upto 25 LMT (over and above 101.5 LMT) of wheat can be offloaded from the buffer stock, if needed, by 31.3.2024.
Export of wheat has already been banned in order to ensure sufficient domestic availability of this commodity. Government has also imposed limits on stock holding of wheat by different categories of entities like wholesalers/traders, processors, retailers and big chain retailers, to prevent hoarding. Stock holding of wheat is being monitored on a regular basis, so as to ensure that wheat/atta is released into the market by traders, processors and retailers on a regular basis, and there is no stockpiling/ hoarding. These steps are taken to check increase in the market prices of wheat by increasing its supplies.
Government has also banned export of non- basmati rice and imposed a floor price of USD 950 for export of Basmati rice. Under OMSS (D) FCI is offering rice for sale in the weekly e auctions, to increase availability of rice in the domestic market.FCI is offering Rice for sale @Rs. 29.00-29.73/ Kg in accordance with the prices fixed by Government.
Government has shown unwavering commitment for welfare of sugarcane farmers as well as domestic consumers. On one hand, with payment of more than Rs.1.13 lakh crores to farmers, about 99.5% cane dues of last sugar season 2022-23 have already been paid leading to the lowest cane dues pendency in the sugar sector history. On the other hand, Indian consumers are also getting one of the cheapest sugar in the world. Retail prices of sugar in India have just 2% annual inflation in last 10 years and about 6% inflation in last one year.
