Karnataka: Yes our Anna Bhagya scheme' not very healthy, says TB Jaychandra
Bengaluru: The government on Tuesday admitted to flaws in its ambitious Anna Bhagya scheme to provide rice at Re 1 a kg to people below poverty line in the state and announced it would supply toor dal under the state’s public distribution system to provide the poor the nutrients they need.
Speaking to reporters Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jaychandra said that a study by the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology had revealed that the rice distributed under the scheme lacked nutrients and could be responsible for both anaemia and diabetes among those who bought it .
“We have been told the polished rice supplied lacks many nutrients. When doctors of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology and BGS hospital held health camps for the poor in rural areas recently they found that most of the people, who were 40 and above were suffering from diabetes and were anaemic. Some of the families buy 70 to 100 kgs of the rice. But as they do not add any other nutrients to it, their health is being affected,” he added.
To set things right, the government has now decided to distribute toor dal under the public distribution system. “For every unit, one kg of toor dal will be given. As the government will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 1,050 crore every year by this, we are considering seeking help from the
Centre,” he explained, also revealing that the government was planning to create toor dal banks on the lines of the wheat bank in Punjab. “Owing to the bumper crop in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, the government will purchase toor dal and store it for distributing it under PDA,” Mr Jayachandra disclosed. Pointing out that there were over 1.10 crore BPL families in the state, he said this translated into four crore BPL cardholders buying rice under the scheme.
Not aware of any report, says UT Khader
Minister for food and civil supplies U.T. Khader seemed clueless about the health study report of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology and BGS Global Hospital on Anna Bhagya beneficiaries.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Khader said, “We have not received any information about the health study conducted by the two hospitals. Moreover, if beneficiaries have developed diabetes and anemia, it would have come to our knowledge because the same rice being supplied in Karnataka, is being supplied to other states too. No complaints have been received from any other state in India regarding the adverse affects of rice supplied by the Centre.”
If any report come out in this regard, the department will definitely look into it and take necessary action. Karnataka is the only state to have started supply of tur dal to BPL families to balance the diet for Anna Bhagya rice, the minister added.
