Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah amid a row over the state rice scheme. Prior to the meeting, he told reporters that he was paying a courtesy call but will also discuss the rice issue with Shah.
Siddaramaiah, who has just completed one month as chief minister in his second tenure, also paid a courtesy visit to President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
There has been a controversy after the Centre discontinued on June 13 the sale of rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to all state governments in view of the inflationary pressure.
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This decision has affected some states, including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, that operate their free rice schemes for the poor. They now have to procure the grains at a higher price from the open market or other states.
What has upset the Karnataka government is that the Centre discontinued the sale of rice "suddenly", a day after it gave permission to the state government to procure the grain from the central pool for the Anna Bhagya scheme.
