More rice under Anna Bhagya; milk 5 days a week for kids

Bengaluru, Feb 9: With elections to the state Assembly just a year away, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been spending liberally on his pet Bhagya schemes.

The chief minister on Wednesday announced a hike in the quantity of rice being given under the Anna Bhagya scheme from April from five kg per beneficiary per month to eight kg. Similarly, school children will get milk five days a week, instead of three days a week from April under Ksheera Bhagya scheme, he said.

The announcements were made at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting chaired by the chief minister at Vidhana Soudha. Besides, he assured his party legislators that supply of food grains under Anna Bhagya will be restored to the below poverty line families which have not submitted Aadhaar details. Two months' time will be given to these families for sharing the details, he added.

Sources in the CLP said many legislators took exception to the Food and Civil Supplies Department's decision to discontinue supply of food grain to those who had not submitted Aadhaar details. Siddaramaiah had recently trashed a proposal by the department to introduce the direct benefit transfer system under Anna Bhagya.

The sources said Siddaramaiah asked legislators to approach him if they need any assistance in implementing any scheme in their constituencies. He also assured them he will look into the demand for increasing the annual legislators' area development fund to Rs 3 crore from Rs 2 crore.

Resolution for disciplinary action

The sources said the CLP passed a resolution, urging the party to take disciplinary action against those openly criticising party leaders, including AICC president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah.

The resolution was passed after many legislators demanded that the party should act against Janardhana Poojary, Jaffer Sharief and A H Vishwanath. KPCC president G Parameshwara said he will forward the resolution to the party high command. Besides, Parameshwara directed all district in-charge ministers and legislators to chalk out programmes to protest against demonetisation. The party in the state is regularly sending reports to the high command on the protests being staged across the state. The high command will take action if anybody fails to take steps in this regard, he warned.