Centre stops food grain distribution to Karnataka, who is at fault?

The Centre has stopped the distribution of food grains for inmates of hostels in Karnataka belonging to underprivileged classes since four months The Centre has stated that the state government has failed to furnish details of the utilisation of funds and food grains But the state official has hit back at the Centre stating all the details are available on the Department website and everything is transparent

The Centre has stopped the distribution of food grains for inmates of hostels in Karnataka, belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes citing a loophole in the Siddaramaiah-led State government.

The hostels concerned are not receiving the food grains for at least four months. The Centre has stated that the state government has failed to furnish details of the utilisation of funds and food grains. Centre has also alleged that the materials and money is being misused by the state government.

Reacting to this, the office of Department of Food and Civil Supplies in Karnataka has stated that the Centre is trying to trick the State government. "All the data about beneficiaries is available on the Department website, thanks to AIS officer Harshavardhan. But the Centre is still living in the stone age and looks like the information on the website has not come to their notice. This is just an election-time gimmick to show the state government in bad light," said the official.

Every year, the Centre distributes 65,714 tonnes of food grains in the state under the Social Welfare Schemes for the old-age homes, rehabilitation centres of beggars, refugee centres, and to hostels with inmates from underprivileged sections of the society.

The Centre had sought the list of beneficiaries under the scheme, which the state failed to do. The food grains will be distributed as soon as the state furnishes the necessary details of the beneficiaries, stated the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

In September, the Centre had merged the sharing of food grains to old-age homes and hostels to bring transparency in the procedure.

But it looks like the state government is much ahead in making the entire scheme transparent by putting up the details on the website.

Is this Centre's way of dealing with the issue of Siddaramaiah's government cutting the food-fund for BJP's close aide Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat's school?