Chhattisgarh’s Rice Ignored in Central Procurement, Claims CM Baghel

Raipur: Recently, the Chief Miner of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, expressed his disappointment with the government for not procuring an amount of rice from the state. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing politics with this issue. During a press interaction in Raipur on Thursday, Baghel stated, “It is truly unfortunate that the Centre is not buying rice from us and turning it into a game. Despite facing treatment in the past we prioritized our farmers well being over politics. Absorbed the losses ourselves instead of burdening them.” He also expressed his disappointment with how the BJP sees politics in every matter.
Through a letter, Baghel further revealed his concerns to Piyush Goyal, Union Food and Public Dribution Miner. In this correspondence, he emphasized that according to Chhattisgarh’s estimates. At the same time, their state government plans to procure 130 lakh tonnes of paddy this year, the central government has reduced its rice procurement target from 86.5 lakh tonnes to 61 lakh tonnes.
In addition to Baghel’s criticism, Siddaramaiah, the Chief Miner of Karnataka, also joined in urging people to reconsider their support for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections due to failures the central government in supplying rice for Karnatakas Anna Bhagya scheme.
Siddaramaiah criticized the actions of the BJP, calling them ‘inhumane.’ He mentioned that the Centre had broken its promise to supply rice at 36 rupees per kg, labeling those actions “harmful, to the poor”.