Karnataka govt to provide additional 5 kgs of rice under Anna Bhagya scheme from Feb
Bengaluru, Feb 19 (PTI): The Karnataka government will begin providing an additional five kilograms of rice from February under the pre-poll Anna Bhagya guarantee, State Minister K H Muniyappa said on Wednesday.
The Congress government had promised to provide 10 kgs of rice every month to each member of families falling below the poverty line (BPL). This includes 5 kgs of rice supplied by the Centre under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
However, due to an inadequate supply of food grains, the state government had been transferring Rs 170 to beneficiaries' bank accounts in place of the additional rice, a practice that continued until January, according to the minister.
The Congress government had accused the Centre of attempting to sabotage the Anna Bhagya scheme by withholding rice, despite sufficient stocks being available in Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses.
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"From February, we will provide 5 kgs of rice per beneficiary every month instead of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)," Muniyappa told reporters.
The minister stated that the state government would require 2.1 lakh tonne of rice each month, costing Rs 536.71 crore.
"We will procure rice from the FCI at Rs 22.5 per kg. We have discussed this with Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pralhad Joshi," Muniyappa said.
He added that Joshi had assured him that the Centre would supply rice consistently for the next two years.
According to Muniyappa, the Centre procures rice from various states at Rs 40 per kg, which includes transportation costs.
With the Centre agreeing to provide rice at Rs 22.5 per kg, the state government will save Rs 150 crore to Rs 190 crore, he said.
Anna Bhagya scheme was one of the five key poll promises made by the Congress ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2023.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
