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Bhubaneswar, Oct 3: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday said the state government would take it upon itself to supply subsidised rice to inmates of residential schools run by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe department of the state.
Patnaik made this announcement while launching the distribution of digitised ration cards among beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act at a function here. Other ministers distributed the NFSA ration cards in 14 districts.
The state government had been supplying subsidised rice at the rate of `1 a kg to all the SC-ST residential schools since 2008. However, there is no provision under the NFSA whether these residential schools could get benefits, a senior official said.
“The state government will take the burden of the expenditure to be made for supply of subsidised rice to SC/ST residential schools,” he said.
Stating that his government accords priority to proper implementation of the NFSA, Patnaik said the poor would need to get food security in order to maintain inclusive growth of the state. “The poor people have gained confidence by getting food security in Orissa,” the Chief Minister said.
Patnaik said the NFSA ration cards were being issued in the name of elder women members of families in Orissa, which he said indicated his government’s commitment towards woman empowerment.
Food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma, who was present during the launch, said, “Transparency has been maintained in preparing the list of beneficiaries. Errors, if any, regarding the beneficiaries can be corrected within three months.”
The state government has decided to implement NFSA across the state in two phases. While first phase will be implemented in 14 districts from November 1, the second phase will come into force from December 1 in the remaining 16 districts.
The districts to be covered in the first phase are Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Boudh, Angul, Sonepur, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda and Gajapati. Around 3.26 crore beneficiaries will be eligible to get benefits under the NFSA in Orissa, the minister said.
Will continue schemes stopped by NDA: CM
Bhubaneswar: Annoyed over stoppage of some schemes and slashing of funds in others by the Centre, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday said his government would continue such programmes from the state’s own resources. “We will not allow these programmes to be stopped and will continue with the state resources,” Patnaik said while addressing the ruling BJD’s ‘Jansampark Padayatra’. Patnaik launched the party’s 10-day padayatra programme at Ganganagarpalli in the city here.
The programme will continue from Gandhi Jayanti till Jayaprakash Jayanti October 11. During the padayatra, BJD leaders would go to the nook and corner of the state and highlight the state government’s achievements and alleged negligence towards the state by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, party members said.
During the padayatra, BJD leaders would apprise the people on how the state government had been implementing promises being made during the elections, Patnaik said.
Stating that state government has taken steps for overall development of the backward districts, Patnaik said the Centre has stopped providing assistance to several ongoing Centrally-sponsored schemes. “BJD is committed to protecting the interests of Orissa,” he said. Coinciding with BJD’s padayatra, the opposition BJP also staged a ‘satyagraha’ across 147 assembly constituencies spread across the state. BJP’s state unit president KV Singhdeo, who participated in the satyagraha at the party headquarters here, said, “The party is highlighting the success of the Central government and the failure of the BJD government in Orissa.”
