Cong, BJP spar over rice supply to Karnataka: Ex-CM Bommai detained during protest in B’luru
Bengaluru (PTI): The politics over supply of rice to Karnataka heated up on Tuesday with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP staging demonstrations in various parts of the state.
The Congress staged protests in all district headquarters of the state against the BJP led Centre for allegedly denying rice for the Karnataka government's Anna Bhagya scheme.
On the other hand, several BJP leaders including former CM Basavaraj Bommai were detained while holding protests in some parts of the state against the Congress government's alleged failure to provide 10 kg rice to each member of the BPL family.
In the state capital, amid heavy downpour, the Congress leaders staged demonstration.
Addressing a gathering, Deputy Chief Minister and Congress state president D K Shivakumar said though the BJP led NDA government was trying to 'disrupt' the Anna Bhagya scheme, the state government will fulfill its election promise.
He accused the Centre of being 'anti-poor' and said it was creating obstacles in the implementation of the scheme to provide rice to the weaker section.
The Congress has promised to increase the rice quantity to the families of the economically weaker section from five kg to 10 kg per person per household.
However, the state was able to provide only five kg rice to each member of the BPL families so far, which is being supplied by the Centre.
However, the Centre said it cannot provide the additional five kg though Karnataka said it was ready to buy it from the central institutions such as Food Corporation of India, Central Warehousing Corporation and NAFED.
Recently, the union government discontinued the sale of rice and wheat from the central pool under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to state governments.
According to an order issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the sale of wheat and rice under the OMSS (domestic) for state governments is discontinued. However, the sale of rice under the OMSS will be continued for northeastern states, hilly states and states facing law and order situations, natural calamities at an existing rate of Rs 3,400 per quintal, it said.
The move comes amid the slow progress of the monsoon and rising prices of rice and wheat. Rice prices have increased by up to 10 per cent in the last one year at the mandi level and by 8 per cent in the last one month, as per official data.
According to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the state needed 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice. The FCI had agreed on June 12 to provide the required quantity of rice but two days later, it backtracked, he alleged.
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Sudan civil war: Over 300 killed in two-day attack on displacement camps
Sudan: More than 300 civilians were killed in just two days of intense fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region, the United Nations reported on Monday, as the civil war nears its two-year mark.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the attacks occurred on Friday and Saturday at two displacement camps, Zamzam and Abu Shorouk, in North Darfur and in the region’s capital, El Fasher. The assaults were carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who targeted famine-hit civilians already suffering from severe humanitarian conditions.
Initial reports had placed the death toll at over 100, including 20 children and nine aid workers. However, OCHA later cited local sources estimating more than 300 fatalities, including 10 humanitarian personnel from Relief International who were operating a health centre in Zamzam camp. Due to the dangerous conditions and poor communication infrastructure, these figures have not been independently verified by the Associated Press.
The conflict began on April 15, 2023, when tensions between Sudan’s military and the RSF erupted into widespread violence, starting in the capital Khartoum and spreading across the country. Since then, at least 24,000 deaths have been officially recorded, although activists suggest the real toll is significantly higher. The war has led to the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, with Sudan now the only country experiencing famine.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that the recent RSF offensives followed the military’s regaining of control over Khartoum late last month, a symbolic win for the army. He noted that the El Fasher area, the last major stronghold not under RSF control, remains under siege.
The UN migration agency reported that between 60,000 to 80,000 families have been displaced in the past 48 hours due to these attacks. El Fasher remains overwhelmed, struggling to support the influx of internally displaced people.
Mamadou Dian Balde, the UN refugee agency’s regional director, described the situation as involving “massive violations of human rights.” Nearly 13 million Sudanese have fled their homes, 4 million to other countries, including Libya and Uganda.
The UN’s humanitarian appeal for $1.8 billion to support refugees remains just 10% funded. Balde warned that without increased international aid, migration flows could spread toward southern Africa, the Gulf, and Europe.
The surge in violence comes ahead of an international conference in London on Tuesday marking the war’s second anniversary. Organized by the UK, EU, Germany, and France, the event will see participation from over 20 foreign ministers and major global organizations. The UN Security Council is also scheduled to hold emergency consultations on the Sudan crisis.
Dujarric called on the international community to act in unity toward peace and to halt the deepening of Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe.
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