The move to stop the sale of OMSS grains is not against any particular state: Center
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Deeply affected by the decision, Congress-ruled Karnataka has accused the central government of going back on its commitment and deliberately stalling the implementation of the state’s ration scheme.
New Delhi. Amid a row over barring states from purchasing food grains from the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the central government on Thursday said the decision was taken with an aim to curb price rise of food grains and not against any particular state. Deeply affected by the decision, Congress-ruled Karnataka has accused the central government of going back on its commitment and deliberately stalling the implementation of the state’s ration scheme. Apart from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Telangana will also be affected by this decision.
The Union Food Ministry on Wednesday stopped the sale of rice and wheat to all state governments under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) except in the northeastern, hilly states and those facing law and order situation and natural calamities. In a press conference, Additional Secretary in the Food Ministry, Subodh Kumar Singh said, “This decision was not taken suddenly. This was not done intentionally. The order came after lengthy inter-ministerial consultations on June 13. So, it was not a sudden decision for any particular state, it was for the whole country. He said that this was mainly done to control the prices of wheat and rice in the larger interest of the people.
He said that recently a rise in the prices of rice and wheat has been observed in the mandis. When asked why states were not consulted about stopping the sale of food grains under OMSS, Kumar said, “States don’t even consult us when they announce a scheme. No state consults and asks whether you will supply food grains for this scheme or not. States make their own announcements, and the Government of India makes announcements based on the stock they have. If we don’t have stock, we don’t announce plans.
FCI Chairman and Managing Director Ashok K Meena said that the prices of rice and wheat have started increasing since June. The government will have to keep intervening in the market to check prices for the next 9-10 months as the next wheat crop will come only in April 2024. He said that normally OMSS was made operational for a month or two, but this year it would be implemented for a longer period and hence FCI would have to conserve the stock.
Disclaimer:IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
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