¡®Bharat Rice¡¯ At Rs 29/Kg Only! Not Just This, Govt Also Sells Atta And Dal At Subsidised Rates

In an attempt to ease the burden on consumers¡¯ pockets, the government of India has introduced Bharat Rice at a discounted price of Rs 29 per kg. This has come in the wake of 15 percent increase in retail rice prices over the past year.

The subsidized rice will be available in 5 and 10 Kg packaging.

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Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal expressed the government's commitment to making essential food items accessible to the general public at reasonable prices.

"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 to PTI. (Also Read: State Bank Of India To Buy Out SBI Caps' Stake In SBICAP Ventures Kolkata)

The rice will be retailed at Rs 29/kg under the 'Bharat brand' in a bid to provide relief to middle class consumers and the poor, he said.

In every kilogram of 'Bharat rice', there will be 5 percent of broken rice.

linkedin/piyush goyal

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.

Where Can You Buy Bharat Rice?

100 mobile vans will sell 'Bharat rice' and also distribute 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.

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These agencies will then pack the rice in 5 kg and 10 kg packs and retail through their outlets under the 'Bharat' brand. The rice will also be available for purchase on e-commerce platforms very soon.

Not Just Rice, Govt Also Sells Atta And Dal Under The Same ¡®Bharat¡¯ Brand At Subsidised Rates

For the unversed, this isn¡¯t the first initiative. GOI previously launched ¡®Bharat atta¡¯ which is sold at Rs 27.50 kg and ¡®Bharat Chana¡¯ which retails at Rs 60/kg the the same agencies. Both the products have been getting a good response and the same is being anticipated for ¡®Bharat rice¡¯ as well.

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Sharing his own 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.

(With PTI inputs)

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