Govt formally launches 'Bharat Atta' at subsidised rate of Rs 27.50/kg to give relief to consumers
New Delhi, Nov 6: Ahead of Diwali festival, the Centre on Monday formally launched the sale of wheat flour at a subsidised rate of Rs 27.50 per kg under the brand name 'Bharat Atta' across the country to provide relief to consumers from high prices.
'Bharat Atta' will be sold through cooperatives NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar via 800 mobile vans and 2,000-odd outlets spread across the country.
The subsidised rate is lower than the prevailing market rate of Rs 36-70 per kg, depending on the quality and location.
In February, the government had carried out a pilot sale of 18,000 tonnes of 'Bharat Atta' at Rs 29.50 per kilogramme through these cooperatives in few outlets as part of the Price Stabalisation Fund scheme.
Flagging off 100 mobile vans of 'Bharat Atta' at the Kartavya Path here, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said: "Now that we have tested and been successful, we decided to do a formal launch so that everywhere in the country can get atta at Rs 27.50 per kg."
The sale of wheat flour during the test run was less as it was retailed only through a few outlets. However, there will be a better pick up this time as the product will be sold via 800 mobile vans and 2,000 outlets of these three agencies across the country, he said.
Goyal said about 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat will be allocated from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at Rs 21.50 per kg to Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar. They will convert it into wheat flour and sell at Rs 27.50 per kg under the brand 'Bharat Atta'.
This will help boost availability and check prices of wheat flour, he added.
The minister further said that the government's intervention of selling few essential commodities -- chana dal, tomato and onion -- at a subsidised rate is yielding good results in controlling the price rise.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar said out of total 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat, about one lakh tonnes each will be offered to Nafed and NCCF, while 50,000 tonnes to Kendriya Bhandar.
The mobile vans and outlets of these three agencies will sell three commodities -- wheat flour at Rs 27.50 per kg, chana dal at Rs 60 per kg and onion at Rs 25 per kg, he said.
Ministers of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, and senior officials of Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar were present at the event.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
