Govt plans to feed poll campaign with its Bharat staples
government is looking at ways to give a big push to its Bharat staples brand, under which it sells atta, rice and pulses in the retail market at subsidised rates, ahead of the general elections in April-May.
«The plan is to carpet bomb Bharat brand products in every assembly constituency before the elections,» said a senior official aware of the government's plan, adding that the mandate is to take it to as many consumers as possible.
The three agencies — Kendriya Bhandar, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) — through which the Bharat products are sold have been asked to sell 300,000-400,000 metric tonnes of rice and atta every month, said the people cited above. Equal emphasis has to be given to pulses also, they added.
The retail prices of several essential commodities such as wheat, rice, pulses, onions, tomatoes soared last year due to reduced production.
Cheer for Farmers and Consumers
This kept food inflation elevated throughout the year, following which the government started selling these products in the retail market.
While it began selling chana dal at a subsidised rate in July 2023 under Bharat brand when retail prices of tur (arhar) rose sharply, Bharat Atta was launched in November 2023 and Bharat Rice in February 2024 to contain prices.
Products under the Bharat brand are priced significantly lower than those of others. For instance, Bharat Rice is sold at ₹29 per kg while other branded rice is
