Bharat Atta sale kicks off ahead of Diwali; wheat flour to be sold at subsidised rate. 5 points

Ahead of Diwali festival, the Centre has launched Bharat Atta scheme wherein wheat flour will be sold at a subsidised rate of ₹27.50 per kg. This scheme is launched across the country in order to provide relief to consumers from high prices. This subsidised rate is lower than the prevailing market rate of ₹36-70 per kg, depending on the quality and location.

Here's all you need to know about the Bharat Atta govt scheme

1. Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said about 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat will be allocated from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at ₹21.50 per kg to Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar. They will convert it into wheat flour and sell at ₹27.50 per kg under the brand 'Bharat Atta'.

2. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar said out of total 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat, about one lakh tonnes each will be offered to Nafed and NCCF, while 50,000 tonnes to Kendriya Bhandar.

3. The 'Bharat Atta' will be sold through cooperatives NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar via 800 mobile vans and 2,000-odd outlets spread across the country.

4. The minister further said that the government's intervention of selling few essential commodities -- chana dal, tomato and onion -- at a subsidised rate is yielding good results in controlling the price rise.

5. The mobile vans and outlets of these three agencies will sell three commodities -- wheat flour at ₹27.50 per kg, chana dal at ₹60 per kg and onion at ₹25 per kg, he said.

As per the Union Minister, the sale of wheat flour during the test run was less as it was retailed only through a few outlets. "However, there will be a better pick up this time as the product will be sold via 800 mobile vans and 2,000 outlets of these three agencies across the country, he said. Earlier in February, the government had carried out a pilot sale of 18,000 tonnes of 'Bharat Atta' at ₹29.50 per kilogramme through these cooperatives in few outlets as part of the Price Stabalisation Fund scheme.

(With inputs from PTI)