Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday urged the Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, to enhance allocation of rice quota to the state.
Patnaik pointed out that most people in Orissa prefer rice as their staple diet and the ratio of rice to wheat in the National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiary list came to 85.82: 14.18. However, the Centre is allocating foodgrain in the ratio of 78.83:21.17 for rice and wheat since the implementation of NFSA in November 2015, he said.
The state has, as a result, consumed 27,904 MT of rice more than the allocation by the Centre till January 2016, Patnaik said. In February, the state will consume 13,139 MT of rice more than the central allocation, he said.
“Therefore, the earlier ratio of requirement for rice and wheat 85.82:14.18 may be approved by Union government and the shortfall of allocation for rice in the last four months since November may be released,” the Chief Minister said.
“At the same time, the surplus allocation for wheat may be withdrawn,” he said.
Patnaik also raised the problem faced because of the reduction of weight of gunny bags from 665 grams to 580 grams because of which the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is rejecting the rice packed in the gunny bags. This is consequently leading to problems for the state. The Chief Minister urged Paswan to direct FCI to receive rice packed in the new gunny bag, which was specified by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D).
The state government also requested the Centre to allocate subsidised rice for SC, ST students in different government-run residential schools. “At present, the Centre is providing rice for only 70,000 students. We demanded that subsidised rice be provided for all the 4.8 lakh students in state,” food supply and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Dasburma said after the meeting.
Paswan said the Centre would look into the state’s demand of allocation of rice and wheat in the ratio of 85.82:14.18. “As other states are also making similar demands, a committee headed by the FCI chairman has been constituted to resolve the issue,” he said.
The Union minister also assured the state government that he would look into the problem the state is facing because of the change in the weight of gunny bags. PNN