Government Sells 12.41 Lakh Tonnes of Bharat Dals at Discounted Rates to Alleviate Inflation Impact
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) The government has successfully sold 12.41 lakh tonnes of 'Bharat' dals at subsidised prices to alleviate the inflationary pressures faced by households, as reported in Parliament on Wednesday.
In a statement to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B.L. Verma, indicated that 12.35 lakh tonnes of Bharat chana dal, 5,663.07 tonnes of Bharat moong dal, and 118 tonnes of Bharat masur dal have been sold at subsidised rates to date.
The Bharat dal initiative was launched in July 2023 by transforming chana stock from the price stabilisation buffer into chana dal, which is available for retail sale at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 60 per kg for a 1 kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for a 30 kg pack until September 30, 2024.
The Bharat chana dal program has been broadened with an additional allocation of 3 lakh tonnes of chana stock for retail sale as chana dal and chana whole, priced at Rs 70 per kg and Rs 58 per kg, respectively, as per the Minister's written reply.
The Bharat brand has also been extended to include moong and masur dals.
The moong stock has been processed into moong dal (Dhuli) and moong sabut for retail sale under the Bharat brand, priced at Rs 107 per kg and Rs 93 per kg, respectively. Bharat masur dal is available at Rs 89 per kg, he stated.
Bharat atta and Bharat rice were also introduced on November 6, 2023, and February 6, 2024, respectively, to offer atta (wheat flour) and rice to consumers at subsidised prices.
In Phase 1, Bharat atta and Bharat rice were sold at MRP of Rs 27.50 per kg and Rs 29 per kg, respectively, until June 30, 2024. In Phase 2, these products are currently priced at Rs 30 per kg for Bharat atta and Rs 34 per kg for Bharat rice. A total of 15.20 LMT of Bharat atta and 14.58 LMT of Bharat rice were provided to consumers during Phase 1 until June 30, 2024. In the current Phase 2, 2,952.25 MT of Bharat atta and 3,413.35 MT of Bharat rice have been sold to the public, the Minister added.
The Bharat food items are distributed through dedicated retail outlets and mobile vans operated by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), Kendriya Bhandar, and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF), as well as through e-commerce platforms and major retail chains, Minister Verma explained.
