Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, inaugurated the subsidised Bharat Atta sale today. Priced at an affordable Rs. 27.50 per kilogram, Bharat Atta we available through cooperative institutions like NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India), among others.
“The government of India has taken several steps for the welfare of both farmers and consumers. We have procured food commodities every time we saw the people of the country struggle due to rising prices and have sold them at subsidised raised to benefit the consumers,” Minister of Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal said during the launch of the product.
“We did the same with tomatoes and helped bring prices down. We then launched Bharat Dal and are doing the same with onions,” he further added.
The ‘Bharat Atta’ will be available through 700 mobile vans and 2,000 government-run outlets.
In February, the Union government had implied its intention to distribute three lakh tonnes of wheat to various cooperatives and Kendriya Bhandar, in addition to the sale of wheat flour. The government has also decreased the per kilogram price of Bharat Atta from Rs. 29.5 to Rs. 27.5 to fight inflation.
The sale of subsidised Bharat Dal is already in progress to combat inflation in the pulse market.
Last month, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra had preidcted an ample supply of wheat, rice, and sugar, ensuring stable prices during the festive season. With a 3.5 percent annual inflation rate in wheat, he the goverspecified nment’s readiness to enhance OMSS (Open Market Sale Scheme) sales from two lakh tonnes if the situation demands.
As part of the government’s strategy to ensure sufficient availability and affordable access for consumers, port of wheat and rice remains forbidden.
Even though certain segments of traders and exporters have requested the government for relaxation on various fronts, including export permissions, the government stands firm on restricting wheat and rice exports, considering the fundamental principle of catering to the needs of India’s vast population of 1.4 billion.
As per Moneycontrol, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Singh said, “Government will take similar steps to reduce inflation if any other commodity shows increasing signs. The government is proactive and doing everything it can to control inflation.”