Govt to replace 5 kg rice under Anna Bhagya with ‘Indira Kit’

Bengaluru

Deputy Chief Minister (Dy.CM) and Bengaluru Development Minister, D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that the Karnataka government is considering replacing the additional 5 kg of rice provided under the Anna Bhagya scheme with a grocery kit to curb misuse of the foodgrain.

Speaking at the World Food Day event at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said the proposed Indira Kit will include essentials such as oil, lentils, sugar, salt and other items.

“The additional 5 kg rice under Anna Bhagya is being misused. To prevent this, we are contemplating distributing grocery kits instead,” he said. “The decision was taken after surveys and consultations with MLAs. On average, a person consumes only 5–6 kg of rice per month,” he added.

The Dy.CM clarified that the move was not made under any external pressure but was a result of ground-level feedback. “This historic decision has been taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa,” he said.

Highlighting the Congress party’s long-standing commitment to food security, Shivakumar recalled initiatives from former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to the Anna Bhagya scheme introduced by Siddaramaiah.

Defending the state’s welfare programmes, he took a swipe at political opponents, stating that critics who once mocked the Congress government’s guarantee schemes have now replicated them elsewhere. “When prices of essential commodities, including gas cylinders, rose sharply, our government introduced the guarantees. We are spending ₹53,000 crore annually on them. Even those who criticised us have copied these schemes in their states,” he said.