In an effort to combat rising inflation, the Central Government has introduced ‘Bharat’ brand flour at a pocket-friendly rate of just Rs 27.50 per kg.
This move comes as a breath of fresh air, considering that most branded flours currently cost over Rs 40 per kg.
Remarkably, some Annapurna brand flour goes for as high as Rs 60 per kg. With this initiative, consumers can expect to save between Rs 13 to Rs 33 per kg on flour.
Accessible Outlets: Where to Purchase ‘Bharat’ Flour
You can conveniently purchase ‘Bharat’ brand flour from Kendriya Bhandar, NAFED, and NCCF physical and mobile outlets.
The government is deploying 800 mobile vans and over 2,000 stores nationwide for this purpose, with plans to expand to other cooperative and retail shops.
This means that procuring ‘Bharat’ flour will be hassle-free in the days to come.
It’s worth noting that the government initially experimented with selling ‘Bharat Atta’ in February under the Price Stabilization Fund Scheme, which has now been formally launched.
Beyond Flour: Other Affordable Essentials
In addition to flour, these three agencies are already offering affordable ‘Bharat Dal’ (Chana Dal) at Rs 60 per kg for a 1 kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for a 30 kg pack.
Onions are also available at a reasonable rate of Rs 25 per kg. With the introduction of ‘Bharat’ flour, consumers can now find flour, pulses, and onions at fair and budget-friendly prices at these stores.
Reduced Prices on Edible Oils
The government has taken steps to control and decrease domestic edible oil prices in recent months.
This includes reducing the basic duty on crude palm oil, crude soybean oil, and crude sunflower oil from 2.5 percent to zero.
Furthermore, the agricultural cess on these oils has been reduced from 20 percent to 5 percent, and this fee structure will remain in place until March 31, 2024.
Similarly, the basic duty on refined soybean oil and refined sunflower oil has been lowered from 32.5 percent to 17.5 percent,
and the basic duty on refined palm oil has been reduced from 17.5 percent to 12.5 percent, with the fee structure extension until March 31, 2024.
The government has also extended open imports of refined palm oil to ensure availability and has reduced import duties on refined sunflower oil and refined soybean oil from 17.5 percent to 12.5 percent.
Continuation of Free Grain Scheme
In an announcement during an election rally in Durg (Chhattisgarh), Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the extension of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY),’ his government’s free ration scheme, for the next five years.
This extension is expected to benefit approximately 80 crore people. The Free Grain Scheme was initially launched to provide free ration to around 80 crore individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued ever since.
