Karnataka has scrapped the tender for Indira food kits proposed under the Anna Bhagya guarantee scheme and will redesign the programme, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad said, with a revised version expected within 45 days.
The decision follows concerns raised by the state finance department over procurement and quality. The department had also suggested considering e-vouchers, which would allow beneficiaries to purchase foodgrains directly while reducing the government’s role in procurement and distribution.
The proposed kits were introduced by the previous Siddaramaiah government as a more nutritious alternative to providing an additional 5kg of rice under the guarantee scheme. For families with three to four members, each kit was to contain 1kg each of tur dal, moong dal, sugar and salt, along with a litre of cooking oil. Families with one or two members were to receive half-kilogram packs.
The programme was estimated to cost the state Rs 6,119 crore. However, the proposal encountered resistance within the government over how the supplies would be procured, checked for quality and delivered to beneficiaries.
“We are looking at reworking the scheme,” Arshad told The Times of India, adding that the government had cancelled the tenders and would call fresh ones after finalising the revised design. He said the food and civil supplies department had conducted a survey in which women beneficiaries expressed a preference for a variety of quality foodgrains.
“Keeping this in mind, the decision was taken to provide food kits. Our new team is working on the composition of the kits and strengthening the supply chain,” Arshad said.
The government is also considering changes to the procurement structure. Earlier this month, HM Revanna, president of the state-level guarantees committee, said supply tenders could be floated at the district level instead of through a single pan-state process. He said district-level procurement would help prevent pilferage and misappropriation.
The proposed shift would place greater administrative responsibility on district-level systems, including procurement, quality checks, storage and distribution. The government has not yet announced the final composition of the revised kits or the value and conditions of the new tenders.
In the interim, the government is expected to continue providing 5kg of rice to families below the poverty line under Anna Bhagya. This is in addition to the 5kg of rice supplied under the National Food Security Act or the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.
The next step is the completion of the revised scheme design and the issue of fresh tenders within the 45-day timeline indicated by the food and civil supplies minister.
