BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday launched the ambitious Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana, under which beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will receive an additional 5 kg of rice free of cost every month.
With the launch of the scheme, each beneficiary will now get a total of 10 kg of rice per month, up from the existing 5 kg supplied free under the Centre’s food security programme. The scheme will benefit around 3.28 crore people from 1.06 crore families, covering nearly 80 per cent of state’s population.
Speaking at a state-level function at the Exhibition Ground marking the completion of two years of the BJP government, Majhi said the scheme reflects the government’s commitment to ensure that no family goes hungry and no child suffers from malnutrition.
“This is not merely a welfare scheme. It is a historic commitment to secure the food plate of every poor household. The expenditure incurred is not a cost but a sacred social investment,” he said. The state government will spend approximately Rs 8,813 crore annually on the programme.
The chief minister also highlighted the government’s achievements over the past two years, stating that the administration is working in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” to build a prosperous and self-reliant Odisha.
On the occasion, Majhi inaugurated the newly constructed 13-km six-lane road connecting the Institute of Mathematics to Ekamra Kanan via Infocity, built at a cost of Rs 108.24 crore. The road will help evacuate traffic and decongest the city.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for the Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road expansion and flyover project, estimated at over Rs 949 crore, which will upgrade the corridor into an eight-lane road.
The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for a 20-storey Janashraya Bhavan on Janpath in Bhubaneswar. The proposed facility, to be built at a cost of Rs 874 crore, will provide affordable temporary accommodation with modern amenities for around 2,000 people visiting the capital from different parts of the state.
Majhi also launched the distribution of smart phones to over 75,000 Anganwadi workers, supervisors and block coordinators. He also inaugurated the Subhadra Shakti Samvad programme.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, chief secretary Anu Garg and works secretary Sanjay Singh spoke on the occasion.
