BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to increase the number of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 in the State by 34.44 lakh in view of the growth in population.
“It is requested tat additional 34.44 lakh beneficiaries may be sanctioned for Odisha to ensure food security to all eligible persons to serve the objective of the Act,” the Chief Minister said in a letter to the Prime Minister on Wednesday. He also suggested that a mechanism may be put in place wherein target is modified at regular intervals to increase the coverage of the beneficiaries in accordance with the increase in population.
“This is to bring to your notice that for implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, Odisha was given a target of 3,26,41,800 beneficiaries, which was 78 per cent of the 2011 Census population of 4,19,74,218,” the Chief Minister said.
Stating that the State has successfully implemented the programme and is providing ration to the beneficiaries regularly, he said according to 2011 census data, the rate of growth of population of Odisha was 14 per cent in the last decade. “If we extrapolate this data, the population of Odisha has increased by 10.22 per cent in 2018 as compared to 2011. It is estimated that the total population of Odisha in 2018 would be 4,62,63,983,” he said.
“Allowing the same percentage of coverage as was decided when the Act came into force, we are entitled to cover 3,60,85,907 beneficiaries under the NFS Act,” he said.