Bhubaneswar: Food security is provided to 32,593, 875 beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and 1,00,244 beneficiaries under the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) in the State.
It was informed by Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra in response to BJP MLA Manas Kumar Datta in the State Assembly.
The Minister said that so far, 16,27,920 dead persons have been excluded from the beneficiary list after field inquiry an eligible consumers are being included in the food security scheme.
In the near future, plans are afoot to launch the Aadhar-based e-KYC verification process to make the data of beneficiaries more transparent. After the scrutiny, the process of issuing new ration cards will begin, the minister said.
The minister further informed that supply officials have been instructed to deliver ration at the doorstep in remote areas like Koraput where people are going far to fetch rice.
Replying to a related question by BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera, the Minister said that the government has made arrangements to deliver PDS rice to the doorstep of those who are unable to come to the panchayat office. Similarly, the government will come up with a special App for those who cannot give their thumb impression due to old age. Arrangements will be made to collect their biometrics from their home,” said Patra.