Karnataka CM meets Shah on rice issue, says he got assurance of help

Bengaluru (IANS) | Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured him to take up the issue of supply of rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) with the Union minister concerned. Speaking to reporters at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said that he had requested Amit Shah not to do politics regarding the supply of rice to the poor in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah said, the matter of giving letter of supply of rice by FCI and canceling it the very next day was brought to his notice. Amit Shah has assured that he will talk to the minister concerned.

Siddaramaiah also said that the state has been provided with two battalions of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) and has been requested to provide two more.

The Chief Minister also discussed with Amit Shah how the policy of the Central Government is affecting the poor people and told Amit Shah that the policy of the Center is against the Food Security Act and will directly affect the poor.

Siddaramaiah had earlier alleged that the Center was playing politics with regard to the free rice distribution scheme.

Siddaramaiah had said, it was agreed to provide 2,08,425 metric tonnes of rice to Karnataka. But, he wrote a letter on June 13 saying that wheat and rice cannot be made available to the states under the Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS). The government has taken a political decision of not giving rice only to defame the Congress government.

The Congress government of Karnataka is planning to provide 10 kg free rice to all BPL cardholder families under the Anna Bhagya scheme. It has announced the launch of the scheme on 1st July. However, due to non-availability of rice, the government is saying that the launch of the scheme will be delayed.

–IANS