In the series of major tweaks in the PDS system, on thursday, October 9, the Karnataka government decided to replace 5kg of free rice distributed under the Anna Bhagya Scheme to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, with Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority Household (PHH), ration cards, along with Indira food Kit. The decision marks a significant step ahead in lessening the burden on the govt. as it is anticipated to save around 300 crore for the treasury. Notably, the Centre offers 5 kg of rice for every beneficiary under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and the state gives 5 kg under Anna Bhagya scheme.
What does the India Food kit include?
The Indira food Nutrition kit includes toor dal, moong dal, sugar, salt and cooking oil. It will be distributed in different slabs to 1, 26, 15, 815 families who have several ration cards instead of giving this food kit to every beneficiary. Interestingly, A family having 1 to 2 members will receive a half-kilo kit, whereas 3 to 4 members in a family will get 1 kg of kit; meanwhile, a family having 5 or more members will get 1.5 kg kit. Concludingly, the government will able to save around Rs.300 crore annually at Rs. 25,04 crore every month.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa had suggested the idea of Indira food kit, and the cabinet had taken the decision on Thursday.
Every family will save the amount of Rs 500 to Rs 1000
The annual expenditure on the Anna Bhagya scheme is estimated at Rs 6,426 crore as Rs 125 was spent on 5kg rice for every beneficiary. The Indira food kit costs around Rs 6,119.52 crore annually, and the monthly expenditure of Rs 509.96 crore. The state government stated that every family that used to spend Rs 500-1000 on these items will save the amount. Surprisingly, it amounts to savings of Rs 630 crore per month that will contribute to the rural economy.