Odisha govt to spend over Rs 700 crore for food security schemes: Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak

BHUBANESWAR: Food and civil supplies minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Wednesday told the assembly that the state government will spend around Rs 717.4 crore in 2023-24 to provide 5 kg rice for free to 2.96 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).
The minister in a written reply said they have been providing the rice for free to both the NFSA and SFSS beneficiaries in the state since January this year.
Nayak said 2.87 crore priority households under the NFSA and 9.76 lakh beneficiaries under the SFSS are getting 5 kg rice per person for free. Ganjam district has the highest priority 24.48 lakh households under both schemes followed by Mayurbhanj (18.42 lakh), Cuttack (16.27 lakh) and Jajpur (13.82 lakh).
The minister further said the state government does not procure rice for SFSS beneficiaries from the open market. The rice processed from paddy procured from farmers are being distributed among beneficiaries. Price of 1 kg of rice is Rs 35.46.
In another reply, the minister said the state government has received 99,121 applications for ration cards. “There is a procedure to select eligible beneficiaries after an inquiry by the field-level officials. It is a continuous process,” he added. In December last year, the Centre had decided to provide free food grain to over 81 crore poor under the NFSA this year.