Bharat Rice: After flour, government will now sell cheaper rice under Bharat brand, announcement will be made soon

There has been a rise in the prices of rice in the country. To control rice prices, the government is now considering a proposal to sell FCI rice under the 'Bharat' brand.

Information about this proposal has been given by an official of the Food Ministry. The official said that its concessional rates have not been decided yet. Earlier, the government had started selling rice through e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme.

The government took this step to reduce the prices of rice, but the response was not that good. On Wednesday, a ministry official told PTI agency that there is a proposal for the retail sale of Bharat brand rice, but no price has been fixed for it yet.

Flour and pulses are available at cheap rates here:

• Under OMSS, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has offered to purchase quality rice at Rs 29 per kg.
• Bharat Brand will sell these rice at a lower or the same rate. Its decision will be taken by the ministry. The government was already selling wheat flour and pulses under the Bharat brand.
• It was being sold in the shops of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumer Federation (NCCF) and Kendriya Bhandar.
• This year it has been able to sell only 3.04 lakh tonnes of rice under OMSS. In the case of wheat, the nodal agency has sold 82.89 lakh tonnes of wheat under OMSS, according to official data.
• Rice inflation is at 13 per cent year-on-year. The government is concerned about rising key food prices ahead of the 2024 general elections.