Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 2: As many as 26 lakh beneficiary families of 14 districts in the state will receive new ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 in the first phase from Friday.
“As scheduled, the distribution of ration cards in 14 districts under the NFSA programme will take place from Friday,” food secretary Madhusudan Padhi said. “Ration cards will be distributed to around 26 lakh families in the first phase,” he said.
The ration cards will be distributed to the beneficiaries of these districts in between October 2 and 8. At the panchayat level, the distribution will take place from October 3, sources said.
The proposed food security programme, which would be implemented in the state in two phases, would include Angul, Bargarh, Bolangir, Boudh, Deogarh, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Sambalpur, Sonepur and Koraput districts in the first phase.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday, in the presence of food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma and Padhi, reviewed the overall preparation of the department.
Earlier, a deadline of October 1, 2015, had been set for the implementation of the Act. However, the government sought more time from the Centre to delete the names of the 69 lakh ineligible applicants remaining in the beneficiary list. Accordingly, the deadline was extended to November 1, 2015, and it was decided that the programme will be implemented in two phases. The beneficiaries of the 14 districts included in the first phase will get ration from November 1.
In the remaining 16 other districts, ration cards will be distributed between October 16 and 31. The date for implementation of the programme in second phase would be fixed accordingly. As per the central norm, the NFSA programme would cater to the needs of 3.26 crore individuals in the state.
The Chief Minister and other ministers will attend the distribution programme in the districts. Patnaik will attend the distribution programme at Soochana Bhawan here Friday, while 14 ministers will attend the event in the 14 districts.
