Bhubaneswar: With thousands of Odia migrant workers stuck outside the state amid lockdown, state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Ranendra Pratap Swain has requested union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan to arrange food for Odia labourers living outside the state.
Speaking to the union minister over video conferencing, Swain told the union minister about the precautionary measures taken by the state government in order to reduce food shortage in the state.
At the meeting, Swain stated that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that the state government will distribute five-kilogram rice (per head of a family) and one kilogram of lentil (arhar dal) free of cost to all ration card holders for three months starting April.
The state government has collected 93 per cent food grains from various sources, Swain added in his statement.
“The state government has already distributed PDS ration to 55 lakh families. Total foodgrain worth Rs 561.49 crore have been distributed among the people of the state,” Swain said.
During Kharif season, the state government need 1.45 lakh gunny sacks for collecting paddy from the farmers. Swain said the Centre has sent only 1.03 lakh sacks. He requested Paswan to release the remaining sacks to the state as soon as possible.
Swain further urged the minister to provide the state pre-sanctioned money of Rs 6132.86 crore to enable the government to procure necessary quantities of paddy.
PNN