Karnataka ensuring free rice despite Centre's plot to sabotage scheme: Congress

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday alleged that the Modi government through its "petty and vindictive politics" sought to sabotage the guarantee scheme of providing free rice to the poor, but the Karnataka government has given a befitting reply.

Ramesh's remarks came on a day when reports emerged that the e-auction of rice by the Food Corporation of India, in which state governments were barred from participating, attracted buyers for only 170 tonnes out of 3.86 lakh tonnes of rice on offer.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said that the Centre's actions do not make for the cooperative federalism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasts about but reflect "confrontational federalism at its petty worst".

The central government had in June barred state governments from lifting rice from FCI through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS-Domestic) route. It also barred private players from selling rice to state governments. The Congress had accused the Modi government of resorting to this policy measure to squeeze the Congress government in Karnataka and put roadblocks in rolling out its guarantee scheme.

Sharing his statement on Twitter, Ramesh said, "The Modi government has played petty and vindictive politics on food security for the poor in Karnataka. It tried to sabotage the Karnataka Congress' Anna Bhagya guarantee. But beginning today the state government has given a befitting reply even as it continues in its efforts to get additional rice."

He said the Congress government would not be shaken in its resolve to implement its guarantee and for the time being, it is launching a scheme today that will transfer Rs 170 every month to 4.42 crore people covered by ration cards.

This transfer is equivalent to the amount the state government would have paid the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had the Centre not intervened at the last minute and stopped the sale of rice even though there are ample buffer stocks available, Ramesh said.

"The cash transfer scheme launched today by the Congress government in Karnataka is a befitting reply to the Modi government's vindictive policies in regard to food security for the poor especially in a state where the BJP was comprehensively rejected," he said.

He said that the FCI had on June 12 agreed to supply additional rice required for which the state government had agreed to pay Rs 34 per kg. But just a day later, he said, the Modi government cancelled the approval while allowing FCI to continue selling rice at Rs 20/kg to ethanol producers.

"After preventing the Karnataka government from going ahead with its purchase of rice from the FCI, the Modi Government asked the FCI to e-auction rice to private traders with the condition that Karnataka could not buy from them. But this e-auction has flopped miserably and more than 99.9% of the rice offered for e-auction remains unsold," he said.