State to get milled tur at Rs 50 a kg from Centre

Karnataka will get 65,000 tonnes of milled tur dal at lower than market rates as the Centre moves to clear part of the buffer stock of pulses ahead of the harvesting of the kharif crop.

Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan said on Wednesday the Centre planned to offload seven lakh tonnes of pulses from the buffer stock to three states – Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu besides meeting the supplies to defence. “The government has already sold two lakh tonnes of pulses through auctions and aims to dispose of additional two lakh tonnes soon.”

He said the pulses will be given to states at rates that are lower than the market price. The Centre procured tur dal at Rs 56.66 per kg and plans to offer it to the states at a special rate Rs 50 per kg.

Karnataka had sought one lakh metric tonnes of tur dal for mid-day meal scheme and for sale through the public distribution system. “The quantities demanded by states are of unmilled variety. But the Centre is providing milled or processed pulses which can be sold directly. However, there is a 35% difference in weight terms as the bran is removed during the processing,” an official said.