The food ministry plan to sell subsidised sugar to the poorest-of-the-poor has run into financial hurdles. The finance ministry has turned down the food ministry request for additional allocation of 3.0 billion rupees for sugar subsidy due to paucity of funds. Under the scheme, the central government provides a subsidy of up to 18.50 rupees a kg to state governments for selling 1 kg of sugar at a fixed price of 13.50 rupees per kg through fair price shops to each of the 20.5 million families covered under the Ana Anna Yojana. The scheme was expected to cost the central exchequer 5.5 billion rupees annually.