Bhubaneswar, October 2, 2018: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched Odisha’s own Food Security scheme on Tuesday to mark the Gandhi Jayanti to cover 25 lakh people left out of National Food Security Act 2013.
The State Government will spend Rs 443.5 crore per annum to support the scheme and Rs 221.75 crore in current financial year.
The beneficiaries will get five kg of rice per person, per month at a rate of Re 1 per kg. The scheme will benefit lakhs of vulnerable people currently out of ambit of National Food Security Act.
Patnaik launched the programme through video conferencing at State Secretariat while special programmes were arranged to distribute ration cards to beneficiaries in Khunta, Jaleswar and Rajgangpur blocks. At least 15.74 lakh beneficiaries have been enrolled with target to cover 25 lakh beneficiaries by March 2019.
Launching own food security act was also one of the promises in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) election manifesto in the run up 2014 elections.
Priority will be given to particularly venerable tribal group (PVTG), widows and single women without regular support, differently abled persons with 40 per cent and above disability, dependent on daily wage labour, leprosy, HIV afflicted persons or other critical aliment persons, destitute living on alms, person dependent on daily wage labour, internally displaced persons, persons over 60 years of age, transgender and shelter-less people during inclusion in the State’s own food security scheme.
