Ahead of the local body elections, the Raman Singh Government in Chhattisgarh is gearing up for a propaganda blitz by organising a “rice festival” on July 8 to mark the launch of the second phase of its populist subsidized rice scheme for the poor and to create awareness among the people about its other welfare schemes. The food security scheme aims to supply rice at Rs 2 per kg to more than 30 lakh families living below the poverty line and at Rs 1 per kg to nearly seven lakh ‘Antodaya’ (poorest among the poor) families.

Chief Minister Raman Singh will attend the rice festival at a fair price shop in a remote village in tribal Sarguja district while his ministers, MPs, MLAs, other elected representatives of panchayat bodies and party functionaries would attend similar programmes in all the 18 districts. The state has already announced that it will supply five kg of wheat a month at Rs 2 per kg to BPL families at all those places where people prefer to have wheat.

“Certainly, it’s a campaign to reach out to the masses and to make them aware about the welfare and other schemes. After all, the objective is to ensure that all eligible persons availed the benefits,” N Baijendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, told The Indian Express.

Banners, posters and leaflets — highlighting the details of the various welfare schemes — would be provided at all the 10,465 ration shops in the state. Government staff would also brief the people about the schemes, he added.

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