Determination of standard operating procedure for the second phase of Bharat Brand Scheme

29-Aug-2024 11:25 AM

New Delhi. The Union Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution has decided to continue the retail sale of rice and flour at subsidized prices through government agencies under the Bharat Brand Scheme.

Its first phase is about to be completed and now the standard operating procedure (SOP) has been determined for the second phase.

Under this, all the three government agencies will have to sell their existing stock and close its accounts before the distribution of new goods starts under the revised Bharat Brand Scheme.

The administrative departments of all the three agencies have been requested to review the account closure and ensure that neither any old stock of rice-flour is left with them nor any other liability arising from the first phase of the scheme remains.

Similarly, Food Corporation of India has been asked to close the account book of the first phase of the scheme.

This includes distribution of old stock (allocation, issuing release order, receipt of payment and quantity of stock lifted etc.).

If any payment is left for the goods which have not been lifted, it will be returned to the concerned agencies.

According to the new SOP, Bharat Brand flour and rice will be sold only in 5 kg and 10 kg bags. The bag will be clearly written in Devanagari script.

It should be written Bharat Flour or Bharat Rice. It is noteworthy that the Food Ministry has already given necessary information about the revised scheme on 23 July 2024, in which the price of flour and rice was also fixed.

If the concerned agencies want to get wheat and rice, then they will have to make an advance payment to the Food Corporation of India.

Agencies are free to select flour millers for grinding wheat but this selection will be done only through competitive bidding process.