Odisha to launch food security scheme on Gandhi Jayanti

Bhubaneswar, July 28 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced the launch state's food security scheme on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

The scheme will cover nearly 34.44 lakh people who have been left out of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

"As I had promised you in 2014 for enacting our own Food Security scheme, it will be implemented from October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) as lots of our eligible beneficiaries have been deprived of the NFSA," Patnaik said.

Addressing the people during his "Ama Mukhya Mantri Ama Katha" interface on Saturday, he said, "I won't allow a single poor person of our state to be deprived of the Food Security". 

Patnaik said that a large number of poor people in the state have not been included under the NFSA since the Centre is implementing the scheme as per the 2011 Census.

Odisha Chief Minister had raked up the issue with the Centre several times to cover the left out beneficiaries as per the increase in population. However, no step was taken in this regard.

The state government has always been giving importance to food security. It had been providing Rs 2/kg rice since 2008. Following its successful implementation, Re 1/kg rice scheme for the poor was implemented from 2013. It has been a milestone in food security in the entire country, Patnaik pointed out.