BHUBANESWAR: Keeping its word of distribution of ration under public distribution system to beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA) every month from the new year, the state government has directed collectors to complete PDS rice lifting from godowns for January by Saturday, and report compliance.
The instruction was issued by the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department as only two districts of Deogarh and Nabarangpur have lifted the rice quota for January by December 20.
As per the earlier instruction of the department, PDS dealers were allowed to lift their quota of rice from government godowns from December 6, and the process should have been completed by December 20.
Sources in the department said that 28 districts have not been able to stick to the instruction as rice distribution among beneficiaries has not been completed by some PDS dealers. Each of the fair price shop is allowed to lift rice for the next month only on production of data that free rice is distributed to at least 80 per cent of the beneficiaries tagged to it.
The department has further directed the district collectors to see that rice distribution through PDS is completed by December 25.
The government decided to give monthly rice to beneficiaries under national and state food security programmes in the wake of three deaths in Mandipanka village under Daringibadi block of Kandhamal district after consuming mango kernel in October. So far, PDS dealers are lifting three months quota in one go.
After missing two deadlines, the department has further asked district collectors to speed up the process of Aadhaar based e-KYC verification of beneficiaries by January next year.