<
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-extend-free-food-grains-programme-by-five-years-says-modi-2023-11-04/>
"MUMBAI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - India is planning to extend its free food grains
programme by five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as the
government tries to shield consumers from rising prices of cereals ahead of a
general election early next year.
The extension will offer relief to consumers, but it will also lead to higher
government spending and require New Delhi to procure more wheat and rice from
farmers to sustain the welfare programme, which provides free grains to more
than 800 million people.
Modi confirmed the move at an election rally in Durg, a city in the central
state of Chhattisgarh, where state elections are due this month.
The grains programme, estimated to cost the government around 2 trillion rupees
($24.06 billion) this year, was due to expire at the end of the year.
India, the world's second-largest producer of wheat and rice, has restricted
exports of both cereals to curb rising prices at home.
A Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house said the government would be
forced to keep export restrictions in place for a longer period because it
needs to purchase from farmers to run the programme."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-rail-education-ethiopia-conservation-congo/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
