NEW DELHI: The acquisition cost of rice and wheat for subsidised distribution through ration shops has increased by nearly 50% since 2012-13 while the rate at which the foodgrains are sold has not been revised since the National Food Security Act ( NFSA ) was implemented in July 2013, the food and consumer affairs ministry has said.The ministry’s submission to Lok Sabha came barely days after the Economic Survey advocated for revising the price at which subsidised grains are distributed under the NFSA and also to revise the coverage of food security scheme. According to the ministry’s written answer to a question, the acquisition cost of rice has gone up from Rs 2,018 per quintal in 2012-13, to Rs 2,051 during 2019-20 and in the case of wheat the price has increased from Rs 1,483 to Rs 2,115 during the same period.This rise in procurement price along with expenditure to store and maintain the procured grains has further pushed the government outgo, called the economic cost. The price at which the foodgrain is distributed to the beneficiaries is called the Central Issue Price (CIP). According to budget estimates, for financial year 2020-21, Rs 1,15,570 crore fund has been allocated for supplying subsidised foodgrains, which is up by 6.33% from the current year’s revised estimate of Rs 1,08,688 crore. The food subsidy bill was Rs 1,13,171 crore in 2014-15.