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Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal today launched ‘Bharat Rice’ brand at Kartavya Path in New Delhi to provide rice directly to consumers at subsidised rates.

The rice will be available in 5 kg and 10 kg packs at a subsidised rate of 29 rupees per kg.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Goyal said that the government is committed to provide ration at affordable prices. He added that 81 crore people are being provided free food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and the government has extended the scheme for next five years.

Mr. Goyal added that the poor families are saving 1500 to 2000 rupees every month under this scheme. The Minister said that this initiative will not only change the lives of the farmers but also provided security to them.

Mr Goyal said around 27, 000 crore rupees under the Price Stabilised Funds have been utilised to provide relief to farmers and consumers by providing the food at subsidised rates.

During the event, the Minister also flagged vehicles carrying rice, which will be distributed to the consumers at various distribution agencies, in the presence of Minister of States Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will provide 5 Lakh Metric Tonnes of rice to two cooperatives, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) as well as retail chain Kendriya Bhandar in the first phase.

These agencies will further pack the rice in 5 kg and 10 kg packets and retail through their outlets under the “Bharat Rice” brand. The rice will also be sold through e-commerce platforms.