BENGALURU: The state government seems determined to carry on with its populist schemes with supply of tur dal at a concessional rate likely for BPL families which are already receiving rice free, and edible oil and iodized salt at highly subsidised prices.
“Yes. A proposal is there to give tur dal at affordable price to poor families. We are studying it,” food and civil supplies minister Dinesh Gundurao told Deccan Chronicle on Friday. Recently, a rural woman requested social welfare minister H. Anjaneya at a function held in Chitradurga, to distribute tur dal along with rice, edible oil and salt. In fact, Mr Rao, while talking to the media a few months ago, had hinted at government’s intentions to distribute a certain variety of grains including tur dal that have nutritional value.
But fluctuating prices and productivity of dal had been worrying authorities of the department. Sometimes, there would be glut, and many a times a shortfall in production which had hindered the government’s decision on its distribution. The minister opined that once the distribution commences, there should be no discontinuity in supplies as it would tarnish the government’s image.
He said officials were studying availability and procurement of the dal so that the supply chain would remain unaffected. Another problem was variation of prices which was being looked into.
“As of now we are concentrating on rice and edible oil and we will definitely consider distributing tur dal after a detailed study,” he added. According to sources, free distribution of rice was alone costing over Rs 2,800 crore per annum and distributing tur dal at subsidied rate could further bleed the state exchequer. Besides, the dal was produced only in three districts in Karnataka. So, the government had to spend couple of hundred crores of rupees if it wants to distribute it to BPL families.
This time, the price of ordinary variety of tur dal crossed Rs 85 a kg while superior variety had touched Rs 120 per kg as a majority of farmers in Kalaburagi, Bidar and Vijayapura switched over to cotton last season owing to low prices.
Naturally, there had been short fall in production. Fresh stock was expected to arrive in December, and till then the current prices could continue. “It is better for the government to tread the path carefully because of huge fluctuation in price and production,” said Mr Gautam Bafna, a wholesale dealer of cereals and pulses.
