Bhubaneswar: Terming the BJD government anti-poor, the state unit of BJP Tuesday asked the BJD government why it has deprived about 3.28 lakh poor people from the ambit of National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Addressing a press conference here, state BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said, “The state government is providing food grain to 3,23,12,941 persons against 3,26,41,800 sanctioned under the NFSA. It means another 3.28 lakh persons can be benefitted from NFSA. Then why has state government not covered them?”
As per a recent letter of Odisha State Food Commission to the state government, 7,091 eligible beneficiaries from 119 tribal sub-plan blocks have not been included under NFSA. It shows the state government’s apathy towards poor, tribal and secluded people, Mohanty said.
If the state government includes these people under NFSA, savings to the tune of `4.6 crore per month would accrue to the state exchequer, he pointed out.
“Excluding the eligible beneficiaries in the NFSA, the BJD government has launched its own scheme and started inviting applications for the same. The government is doing so only for political gains,” the BJP leader alleged.
Reacting to the allegations, BJD vice-president and Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Surya Narayan Patro said, “Those who are not included in NFSA, will be covered under the state’s own food security scheme.”
BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb stated that BJP is asking these questions due to political disappointment. “When the state government had sent letters to the Centre citing discrepancy in the present population and Census of 2011, the Centre remained tightlipped.” he added.
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