24.85 lakh tonnes of rice distributed to ration card holders in 2024-25 in Karnataka
The meeting, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Iranna Kadadi, reviewed the performance of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Karnataka and examined State-centre coordination on food procurement and distribution.
As per officials, the FCI facilitated the delivery of 24,85,799 tonnes of rice to NFSA beneficiaries, who receive 5 kg of food grain per person per day free of cost. The meeting also highlighted the Central government's interventions in the open market to stabilise food prices, notably the release of 4,60,959 tonnes of rice and 1,05,065 tonnes of wheat through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS). These releases, officials said, were aimed at controlling rising market prices and ensuring affordability for consumers.
In addition to NFSA, the PM Nutrition Scheme — which supports mid-day meals in schools — saw the distribution of 1,06,895 tonnes of food grains across Karnataka over the past year. From February 2025 onward, the State government began purchasing approximately 2,42,000 tonnes of rice per month from FCI to support its own food security programs. Within this, 7,811 tonnes of rice were specifically supplied under OMSS for meal provision to students in classes 9 and 10.
The officials also said that the State received 1,14,710 tonnes of food grains for distribution to children and mothers through Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). 'Special allocations were also made to Yadgir and Raichur, two districts in Karnataka designated as aspirational districts by NITI Aayog. We distributed 32 tonnes of rice and 472 tonnes of wheat to support nutrition programs for adolescent girls,' the officials noted.
Mr. Kadadi raised concerns over what he described as the Karnataka government's failure to meet procurement targets for essential grains such as ragi, paddy, and jowar under Minimum Support Price (MSP) provisions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Any of the 11 documents accepted for SIR verification are susceptible to falsification: petitioner counters EC in Supreme Court
Petitioner-NGO Association for Democratic Rights on Saturday (July 26, 2025) countered the Election Commission of India's (EC) refusal to accept Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration card as valid 'standalone' proof for inclusion in the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as 'patently absurd'. On July 10, the Supreme Court had asked the top poll body to consider these three documents for the SIR, reasoning they formed the foundational records to obtain any of the 11 documents, including residence and caste certificates, listed by the Election Commission for the verification of voters. The EC justified that Aadhaar, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), and ration card could easily be faked. But the NGO, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, said any of the 11 documents were equally prone to fraud. 'It is pertinent to note that the 11 documents included in the approved list are equally susceptible to being procured on the basis of fake or false documentation, thereby rendering the ECI's rationale baseless, inconsistent and arbitrary,' the NGO's rejoinder said. The NGO referred to data in the EC's affidavit detailing the expansive coverage of the 11 eligibility documents, including 13.89 crore residence certificates and 8.72 crore caste certificates issued from 2011 to 2025. 'It is interesting to note that the same far exceed the total number of electors in the electoral rolls. If residence certificates can be accepted as eligibility proof of SIR 2025, despite their total number exceeding Bihar's current aggregate population, there is no reason why ration cards be rejected as a document on the grounds of being prone to forgery,' the NGO argued. It said Aadhaar was accepted as proof for obtaining several of the 11 eligibility documents, including permanent residence certificate, Other Backward Class (OBC)/Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate, and passport. 'This makes the EC's rejection of Aadhaar, which is the most widely held document, patently absurd,' the rejoinder said. The EC had filed a counter affidavit on July 21 claiming plenary powers to conduct the SIR, the authority to determine citizenship, and that a large portion of the population in Bihar already possessed one or more of the 11 documents. The NGO countered a claim by the EC that political parties were fully backing the SIR. 'Not a single political party had asked EC for a de novo exercise such as the one prescribed in the instant SIR order. The concerns of political parties were on the issue of addition of non-existent votes, and deletion of genuine votes supporting the Opposition parties, and on the issue of casting of votes after closure of polls… the EC's counter affidavit fails to substantiate or justify the necessity of the SIR in Bihar, or the broader push for a nationwide citizenship verification of electors,' the NGO said. It said people whose names are not found in the draft electoral roll for Bihar would not have the time to file appeals, prove their citizenship, and get re-enrolled in time for the Bihar Assembly election, likely to be held in November.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Belagavi-Bengaluru Vande Bharat: Railway min repeats assurances, but no timeline yet
Belagavi: Yet again, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has assured that the Belagavi–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will be launched "at the earliest," without offering a definite timeline, much to the growing frustration of Belagavi residents. The minister repeated his assurance during the visit of Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi, along with Union minister Pralhad Joshi and minister of railways for the state V Somanna, in New Delhi on Thursday, to follow up on the long-pending demand for the train. "The permission was already granted. We are waiting for the availability of coaches. The train will commence operations as soon as they are allocated," Vaishnaw stated, according to Kadadi. However, repeated assurances without concrete action have left citizens disillusioned. On May 6, Union minister Pralhad Joshi officially announced the sanction of a dedicated Vande Bharat Express between Belagavi and Bengaluru after consultations with the railway minister. Since then, MPs including Jagadish Shettar and Iranna Kadadi have made multiple representations to the ministry, but each time the response has remained the same. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Remember Him? Sit Down Before You See What He Looks Like Now 33 Bridges Undo by Taboola by Taboola In Nov 2023, the Railways successfully conducted a trial run of an 8-coach Vande Bharat train between Dharwad and Belagavi. At the beginning of 2024, officials proposed extending the existing Bengaluru–Dharwad service to Belagavi. In May 2025, the railway ministry announced a dedicated train service instead, which was widely welcomed by the public. Despite the excitement and public celebrations that followed, more than two months have passed since the announcement, and there is still no confirmed date for the launch. In response to mounting public pressure, Belagavi's elected representatives continue to pursue the matter with the railway minister, but there no official guarantee or schedule has been given by the ministry. Meanwhile, Kadadi said the railway minister also assured that the Belagavi–Miraj special train will be converted into a regular passenger service within a month. In a public statement, he added that Vaishnaw also promised to personally visit Ghataprabha railway station following complaints of poor-quality construction work there.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
FCI calls for EOI from rice buyers
Food Corporation of India (FCI) plans to sell raw and boiled rice with 10% broken rice grains to traders, bulk buyers and manufacturers of rice products. It has called for expression of interest from such buyers and they can upload their needs on the FCI website. This is perhaps the first time that FCI is selling rice with such less quantity of brokens. It is usually around 16%. According to sources in the Regional office of the FCI here, the rice is to be sold under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) on long term basis of 6-8 months. The rice will be sold at ₹3,000 per quintal till 31 October. It will also sell broken rice at ₹ 2,250 per quintal, which works out to ₹ 22.50 per kilo. Sources in the paddy and rice business said that the FCI has around 19 million tonnes of rice procured from farmers all over for the public distribution system and wants to off-load the same. 'There are people who will buy this rice for further trading maybe. However, it will not help bring down prices in any way since rice prices are already down due to surplus production. Also, this is ration quality rice. Many people in the State prefer only fine varieties,' he explained.
