BHUBANESWAR: Faced with the problem of plenty, the state government is seriously contemplating to increase the supply of free rice quota from 5 kg to 10 kg per head under public distribution system (PDS) from November.
The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) department will send a proposal enhancing the individual rice quota of beneficiaries covered under food security programme to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for his approval. This was informed by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra to reporters here on Wednesday.
Pata said the move to increase the PDS rice of ration card holders was initiated after receiving complaints from the beneficiaries that 5 kg of rice per month is insufficient to meet the consumption need of a person.
The state government has already supplied 5 kg of rice more for three months from August to October to 27 lakh families of 11 districts under Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, following the announcement by the chief minister on his Independence Day speech. This additional benefit is given to ration cardholders of eight KBK districts and three districts of Boudh, Kandhamal and Gajapati.
The additional rice distribution was a one-time decision for which the state government will have to bear a burden of Rs 180 core. The government is now contemplating to extend the benefit to all the rational card holders across the state, informed sources said.
Patra has already announced that the government will stop supply of rice to over 15.67 lakh ration card holders from November as they have not completed the e-KYC verification. Sitting over a surplus rice of over 12 lakh tonne, the state government has been requesting the Central government for lifting of this rice. The state is yet to get any response from the Food ministry, despite the matter being taken up by the chief minister with Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution minister Pralhad Joshi.