Govt launches Bharat rice at Rs 29/kg
New Delhi, Feb 6: The government on Tuesday launched 'Bharat rice' at a subsidised rate of Rs 29 per kilogram to provide relief to consumers amid a 15 per cent rise in retail prices of the grain in the last one year.
Launching the subsidised rice that will be available in 5 kg and 10 kg packs, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said the government is making efforts to ensure that daily food items are available at affordable rates for the common people.
"When the wholesale intervention (to control prices) was not benefitting more people, the retail intervention was started under the Price Stabilisation Fund(PSF)," Goyal said.
As part of the retail intervention, rice will be retailed at Rs 29 per kg under the 'Bharat brand' to provide relief to middle class consumers and the poor, he said.
In each kg of 'Bharat rice', there will be 5 per cent of broken rice.
Goyal said the government's efforts have already helped in rapidly bringing down the prices of tomato and onion.
"Wheat inflation has been zero in the last six months since we started selling 'Bharat atta'. The same impact we will see in rice," the minister said and emphasised that the prices of commodities going into middle class persons' thali is quite stable.
"The government is proactive in making daily needs at affordable rates," Goyal said.
He also flagged off 100 mobile vans that will sell 'Bharat rice' and also distributed 5 kg packs to five beneficiaries.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will provide 5 lakh tonne of rice to two cooperatives -- National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) -- as well as retail chain Kendriya Bhandar in the first phase.
These agencies will further pack the rice in 5 kg and 10 kg packs and retail through their outlets under the 'Bharat' brand. The rice will also be sold through e-commerce platforms.
The government has resorted to retail sale of FCI rice after it received a lukewarm response for sale of rice to bulk users at the same rate through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
The government hopes to get good a response for 'Bharat rice' too, like it has been receiving for 'Bharat atta', which is being sold at Rs 27.50 per kg and 'Bharat chana' at Rs 60 per kg through the same agencies.
Sharing his personal experience, Goyal said he has started using 'Bharat dal' and 'Bharat atta', and both of them are delicious.
"Now, I have purchased 'Bharat rice'. This will also be of good quality," he added.
To a query on whether an accurate analysis has been done with respect to the average price of rice since there are many varieties in the market, Goyal said, "it has been correctly analysed... this is a proactive government".
Retail prices of rice are yet to be under control despite restrictions on exports and bumper production in 2023-24.
The government has asked retailers, wholesalers, processors and big retail chains to disclose their stocks to check hoarding.
Ministers of State for Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Ashwini Choubey, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh and Food Corporation of India (FCI) CMD Ashok K Meena, among others, were present at the event to launch the rice.
कम कीमत और गुणवत्ता ज़्यादा,
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 6, 2024
ये है भारत ब्रांड का वादा।#BharatRice pic.twitter.com/obsDuAhjce
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
