Mysore/Mysuru: The Government has decided to distribute Ragi,  procured from farmers under Minimum Support Price system, to BPL card holders. 

Each BPL card holder will get 3 kg of ragi, while those having Antyodaya cards will get 20 kg for next five months from fair price shops. Ragi is in addition to 2 kg of rice and wheat per member of BPL card and in addition to 15 kg of rice in Antyodaya card.

Government has so far procured 3,69,777 quintals of ragi from 14,516 farmers by paying Rs.3,295 per quintal, which will be used for distribution among ration card holders in old Mysuru region for next five months starting from this month. Card holders of North Karnataka will get Jowar as it is most consumed in that part of the State. 

Even as it added ragi to the list, the State Government has dealt a blow to card holders by reducing the quantity of rice from 5 kg to 2 kg. The Congress Government headed by Siddharamaiah had announced 7 kg rice per member, which was reduced to 5 kg by previous JD(S)-Congress coalition Government. Now the current Government has further reduced rice quota to 2 kg per person, while at the same time adding 3 kg ragi.

There are 50,227 Antyodaya cards, 6,60,698 BPL cards and 96,924 APL cards in the district. Out of the 96,924 APL cards, ration supplies has been stopped to 65,185 such card holders as they were found ineligible. The Government has been supplying 71,000 quintals of Ragi, 48,000 quintals of Rice and 15,000 quintals of wheat as Ration supplies every month to Card holders from across all the three categories — Antyodaya, BPL and APL.