New Delhi, Dec 11 : The Centre has sold 12.41 lakh tonne of 'Bharat' dals at subsidised prices to consumers to ease the burden of inflation on households, the government told the Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B.L. Verma said in the Lok Sabha that 12.35 lakh tonnes of Bharat chana dal, 5,663.07 tonnes of Bharat moong dal, and 118 tonnes of Bharat masur dal have been sold at subsidised prices till now.

The government introduced Bharat dal in July 2023 by converting chana stock from the price stabilisation buffer into chana dal for retail sale to consumers at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack till September 30, 2024.

Bharat chana dal has been extended and expanded by allocating another 3 lakh tonnes of chana stock for retail sale in the form of chana dal and chana whole at MRP of Rs 70 per kg and Rs 58 per kg, respectively, the Minister said in a written reply.

The Bharat brand has also been extended to moong and masur dals.

Moong stock has been converted into moong dal (Dhuli) and moong sabut for retail sale under the Bharat brand at MRP of Rs 107 per kg and Rs 93 per kg, respectively. Bharat masur dal is sold at Rs 89 per kg, he said.

Bharat atta and Bharat rice were also launched on Nov 6, 2023, and February 6, 2024, respectively, to provide atta (wheat flour) and rice to general consumers at subsidised rates.

During Phase 1, Bharat atta and Bharat rice were sold at MRP of Rs 27.50 per kg and Rs 29 per kg, respectively, till June 30, 2024. In Phase 2, these products are now being sold at an MRP of Rs 30 per kg for Bharat atta and Rs 34 per kg for Bharat rice. A total of 15.20 LMT of Bharat atta and 14.58 LMT of Bharat rice were made available to consumers during Phase 1 until June 30, 2024. In current Phase 2, 2,952.25 MT of Bharat atta and 3,413.35 MT of Bharat rice have been sold to general consumers, the Minister also added.

Bharat brand of food items are distributed through own retail outlets and mobile vans of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), Kendriya Bhandar and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF), e-commerce platforms, and big chain retailers, Minister Verma said.

/IANS