Lok Sabha Question No. 1812 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Bharat Dal Brand
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Neeraj Maurya, Shri Devesh Shakya

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1812 (OIH)

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.12.2025

## BHARAT DAL BRAND

1812.  SHRI DEVESH SHAKYA: SHRI NEERAJ MAURYA:

(OIH)

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the objectives and salient features for starting the "Bharat Dal" brand and the manner in which it is working to ensure availability of essential pulses like gram, moong and masoor at the reasonable prices;
- (b) the details of the quantity of Bharat Dal distributed in various States each year since the launch of said brand;
- (c) the regulatory measures taken by the Government to maintain transparency, quality and fair prices in retail sales;
- (d) the efforts being made to increase consumer awareness and strengthen the reach of Bharat Dal in urban  and  rural  areas  especially  in  Aonla,  Etah,  Kasganj,  Mainpuri,  Kannauj,  Auraiya,  Bareilly, Badaun and Shahjahanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh; and
- (e) the details of the schemes proposed or implemented to increase varieties of the products and expand the distribution network?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a)  &  (b)  :  Prices  of  pulses  were  elevated  during  2023-24  and  2024-25  due  to  the  impact  of  El  Nino  on domestic production. In order to stabilise prices and make dals available to consumers at affordable prices, Bharat Dal was launched in July, 2023 by converting Chana stock in the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) buffer  into  Chana  dal  for  retail  disposal.  The  Bharat  Chana  Dal  was  made  available  to  consumers  at subsidized rates of Rs.60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs.55 per kg for 30 kg pack. Till September 2024, about 12.32 lakh MT of Bharat Chana Dal was sold to retail consumers in Phase- I of Bharat Chana Dal. Further, additional quantity of 3 LMT of Chana stock was allocated under Bharat dal Phase-II for retail sale in Dal form and Whole form at MRP of Rs. 70/kg for 1 kg pack of Chana Dal and Rs.58 per kg for Chana Whole. A quantity of 1.71  LMT Chana dal and 43,901 MT of Chana whole was sold under Phase- II of Bharat Chana Dal.

The Bharat Dal Brand was extended to include Bharat Moong Dal and Masoor Dal by converting the stocks in the PSF buffer into Dal for retail sale to consumers. Bharat Moong Dal was sold at Rs.93 per kg and Masoor Dal at Rs.89 per kg. About 7142 MT of Bharat Moong Dal and 929 MT of Masoor Dal were sold to retail consumers.

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI

Bharat Dal was distributed through stationary outlet and mobile vans of the implementing agencies, namely,  NAFED,  NCCF,  Kendriya  Bhandar  and  State  Cooperatives,  and  also  through  organised  retail chains and e-commerce platforms all over the country.

- (c) :    In order to maintain transparency, quality and traceability, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to  be  followed  by  implementing  agencies  in  the  selection  of  millers,  monitoring  of  sales  by  distribution partners, quality parameters, packaging etc. were prepared. Assessment of the performance of agencies in ensuring traceability and quality of the product was conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI).
- (d) :    Bharat  Dal  was made available through an extensive network of retail outlets spread across the country, ensuring easy availability for both urban and rural consumers. These outlets include governmentrun stores, cooperative societies, and authorized private retailers, mobile vans, enabling widespread reach. The distribution system was designed to ensure a steady supply of Bharat Dal at affordable prices, making it convenient for consumers from all socio-economic backgrounds to purchase it without difficulty across the country including Uttar Pradesh.
- (e) :  The  Bharat  Dal  mechanism  was  discontinued  from  1 st April,  2025  considering  the  substantial moderation in the retail prices of pulses. At present, onions from the price stabilisation buffer are disposed through retail sale to consumers at discounted prices through stationary outlets and mobile vans of NAFED and NCCF and also through open market sale in major consumption centres across the country.

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