Amid rising prices of food and other essential commodities, the Delhi government has decided to make wheat flour and rice available to Delhiites at subsidised rates.
Now, wheat flour will be available at less than R11 per kg at all government shops. The government is yet to finalise the price at which rice will be sold.
Officials said the decision to sell wheat and rice at subsidised rates was taken after union minister of state for food and civil supplies K V Thomas agreed to the state government’s request to provide Delhi with additional quota of subsidised wheat.
In July 2009, the state government had launched a scheme to sell wheat flour at over 400 outlets across the city at R13.95 per kg to provide some relief to poor people from rising prices of food items. The scheme, ‘Bhagidari Atta’, had to be discontinued after the Centre stopped providing subsidised wheat flour to Delhi.
Increasing prices of essential commodities was considered as one of the major reasons for the Congress’s crushing defeat in the municipal polls last month.
Officials said that chief minister Sheila Dikshit requested the union minister to make available more than 8,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the city so that the “popular scheme” can be launched again.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said that chief minister Sheila Dikshit requested the union minister to make available more than 8,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the city so that the “popular scheme” can be launched again.
{{/usCountry}}“We will soon announce the date of revival of the scheme,” Dikshit told reporters on Wednesday.
The chief minister also said that she had requested Thomas to increase allocation of central quota of rice to Delhi so that the state can start sale of rice at subsidised rates.