Odisha BJP to put up banner of PM Modi in front of PDS centres
The Hindu
The decision came after Centre announced that it would bear food grain cost given under NFSA to counter narrative of BJD government, which was misleading people
The Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party decided to put up banners of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at different public distribution scheme centres, where rice was given free of cost to the general public.
The decision comes in the wake of Narendra Modi government’s announcement that it would bear the entire cost of food grains, given under the National Food Security Act. The move was aimed at countering the narrative of the Biju Janata Dal government which, as per the allegations of the BJP, had been misleading people over the scheme.
The banner containing the phrase ‘Free 5 kg rice, thanks to PM Modi’ would be displayed, said the Leader of the Opposition Jainarayan Mishra.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution had issued a letter saying that it wanted the dispensation of print receipts, mentioning that free food grain distribution and subsidy was borne by the Centre, among beneficiaries.
As the Centre and the State approach the 2024 elections, both the BJP and the BJD are competing to make beneficiaries aware of the benefactors of the scheme.
As per the arrangement, poor beneficiaries were getting rice at ₹1 per kg in Odisha. While the Centre was providing a subsidy of ₹34.28 per kg, the State government was giving ₹2 per kg till December last year.
It was the subsidised rice scheme that immensely benefited the Naveen Patnaik government since 2009.
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