Post News Network
New Delhi: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) members Tuesday met Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan at his office in Parliament and demanded more rice allocation to Orissa than wheat under Public Distribution System (PDS).
Prior to National Food Security Act (NSFA), the Union government followed a ration of 84.74: 15.26 for distribution of rice and wheat to the state respectively.
However, the ratio of allocation from November 2015 to January 2016 is 78.83: 21.17 against state’s requirement of 85.82: 14.18, thereby leading to a shortfall of 27.9 thousand tonne rice and surplus of 25.5 thousand tonne wheat.
‘‘Orissa is primarily a rice consuming state where people in rural areas eat rice as part of their staple diet. Most of the poor tribal families have opted 100% rice against monthly entitlement. Our actual consumption was 85% rice and 15% wheat under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in the pre-NFSA regime. But, we urge the Union minister to allocate 86% rice to the state as per its requisition based on beneficiary choice,” said Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Tirkey.
Orissa has 24 per cent of ST(scheduled tribe) population who prefer rice to wheat as their staple food.
