Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Petroleum Minister said that the BJP or Bharatiya Janata Party will give rice, dal and salt at Rs 1 / kg to over 3.26 crore people if the party came to power in Odisha.
While addressing an election rally in Choudwar, Cuttack district, on 13 April 2019 Pradhan said, "If the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in Odisha, it will offer 5 kg rice, 500 gram dal and an equal amount of salt to 3.26 crore beneficiaries at just Rs 1 / kg under the National Food Security Scheme (NFSA)".
Under the National Food Security Scheme, 5 kg rice is given at subsidised price and the Odisha government is providing rice at Re 1 / kg to the poor.
The Petroleum Minister told that the central government gives Rs 29 subsidy on every kg of rice, whereas the state's share was just Rs 2. The beneficiary is paying only Re 1 to purchase a kg of rice, priced at Rs 31 per kg, Pradhan added.
He also said, "People have made up their mind to remove the dishonest government in Odisha and form the BJP's double-engine government".
Pradhan added that the BJP government will improve all the hospitals in the state and employ doctors to provide better health care facility. It would also expand the irrigation network with the help of a dedicated fund of Rs 1 lakh crore and develop cold storage facilities.
