Bhubaneswar, Aug. 22: Food supply and consumer welfare minister Pratap Keshari Deb today said the Congress was making a “farce” on the issue of cheaper rice.

“I have already informed the House on the issue five times. The Centre is misleading the people on the issue of rice allocation to the state. The Congress should stop the campaign of filing FIR against the government on the issue of giving 25kg of rice instead of 35kg,” said the minister.

Moving an adjournment motion on the rice issue, the Opposition alleged that each beneficiary of the state had lost nearly Rs 26,000 as the state government was giving them 25kg of rice instead of the original allotment of 35kg. “There is a scam of Rs 36,000 crore. The government owes an answer to it,” said Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan.

Harichandan said that while the Centre was shouldering a burden of Rs 15.77 for one kilogram rice, the state was bearing the cost of Rs 4.43 for 1kg.” However, the state government is clinching all credits for continuing the Re 1-kg rice scheme.

Deb said the problem related to the distribution of rice to the BPL families cropped up as the definition of the poverty was yet to be defined. “We are getting rice quota for lesser people, but we have to distribute to a larger section of people. The Congress should stop drama on this issue. Rather they should co-operate and come forward to lodge an FIR against the Planning Commission.”