Bharat Rice is launched to provide relief from rising prices. Launching the subsidized rice available in 5 kg and 10 kg packs, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said the government is striving to ensure that daily food items are available to the common people at affordable rates. The government on Tuesday launched Bharat Rice at a concessional rate of Rs 29 per kg. This step has been taken by the government to provide relief to consumers after the 15% increase in grain prices in the last few days.

Launching the subsidized rice, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said “Wholesale intervention (steps taken to control prices) were not benefiting many people, so retail intervention under the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) was introduced”.

Prices of tomatoes and onions came down due to the government’s efforts.

Piyush Goyal said that to provide relief to middle-class consumers and those below poverty, rice under the ‘Bharat Brand’ will be sold at the rate of Rs 29 per kg in the retail business. Moreover, for every kg of ‘Bharat Rice’, there will be 5 % broken rice. Goyal said the government’s efforts have helped in bringing down the prices of tomatoes and onions sharply.

Goyal said, ‘Ever since we started selling ‘Bharat Atta’, there has been zero price rise for wheat in the last six months. Additionally, we will see the same effect in Bharat Rice. Moreover, the minister emphasized that the prices of commodities going on the plates of middle-class people are quite stable. Goyal said that the government is active in providing daily needs at affordable rates. He also flagged off 100 mobile vans selling ‘Bharat Rice’ and distributed 5 kg packs to five beneficiaries.

Where and at what price is Bharat Rice available?

FCI will provide 5 lakh tonnes of rice to NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar in the first phase.

FCI

Food Corporation of India is the full form of FCI. Furthermore, it is a statutory body under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The FCI’s functions include:

• Buying food grains and other foods from farmers at a minimum purchasing price
• Operating in five zones across India
• Ensuring food security for the country
• Recruiting a large number of young people every year

NAFED

NAFED is the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India. It is a marketing cooperative for agricultural produce in India. Furthermore, it is controlled by the Minister of Agriculture of the Government of India.

It is registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and is one of the largest procurers and marketing agencies for agricultural products in India.

NCCF

NCCF stands for National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India. Moreover, it’s the apex body of consumer cooperatives in India. The NCCF is the top body of consumer cooperatives in India. 

NCCF’s main objectives are to:

• Promote the consumer cooperative movement in India
• Support consumer cooperatives and other distributing agencies
• Provide technical guidance and assistance to consumer cooperatives
• Facilitate the voluntary formation and democratic functioning of cooperatives
• Help cooperatives function based on self-reliance and mutual aid
• Help cooperatives achieve overall economic betterment and financial autonomy 

Kendriya Bhandar

Kendriya Bhandar is a cooperative society that sells groceries, consumer items, stationery, and office equipment. Furthermore, it was established by the Central Government of India as a welfare project for employees and the public. Kendriya Bhandar’s head office is in Delhi and it has several branches across India. 

Objectives of the Kendriya Bhandar are to:

• Obtain, distribute, and market food, essential commodities, and other consumer goods at reasonable prices.
• Supply grocery and consumer items to hotels, hostels, hospitals, canteens, and guest houses.
• Offer credit facilities to regular customers by opening credit accounts.

Some say that Kendriya Bhandars offer 28–30% cheaper prices than large retail stores. 

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

The government expects ‘Bharat Rice’ to be as popular as ‘Bharat Atta’.

The government started retail sales of Bharat Rice. Because it was not getting encouraging results on selling rice at a flat rate to bulk users through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).

Now the government is hopeful that like Bharat Atta, ‘Bharat Rice’ will also get a good response. Bharat Atta is being sold through the same agencies at the rate of Rs 27.50 per kg and ‘Bharat Chana’ at Rs 60 per kg.

Sharing his personal experience, Goyal said that he has started using ‘Bharat Dal’ and ‘Bharat Atta’ and both are very tasty. Moreover, he said, “I have now bought ‘Bharat Rice’. This will also be of good quality. In response to a question related to the pricing of Bharat Rice, Goyal said that it has been analyzed accurately. Furthermore, this is an active government.

Despite export restrictions and bumper production in 2023-24, retail prices of rice are still not under control. Hence, the government has asked retailers, wholesalers, processors and large retail chains to disclose their stocks to prevent hoarding.

Ministers of State for Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Ashwini Choubey, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh and Food Corporation of India (FCI) CMD Ashok K Meena were present at the event to launch Bharat Rice, among others.