Ministers in-charge of several districts of Uttarakhand will launch Food Security Ordinance 2013 on Monday. Uttarakhand Food and Civil Supply Minister Pritam Singh will launch the Ordinance in Nainital while Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh in Haridwar will launch it in Haridwar.
Other Cabinet Ministers including Dinesh Aggarwal and Pritam Singh Panwar are expected to launch this ordinance in Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi respective on Monday. Uttarakhand Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani said, “Now, I am in Delhi and I will launch this ordinance in Udham Singh Nagar within three days.”
Singh said that the poor would get five kilos of food grain comprising three kilos of rice and two kilos of wheat per person for Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg respectively. In the first phase of its execution, BPl and Antyodaya card holders would start receiving their ration under the scheme from next month. Antyodaya beneficiaries would continue to get 35 kilos of food grain as before. The State Government has also decided to provide 35 kilos of food grain to the 3.7 lakh BPl families in the state. The increased cost would be borne by the State Government.
The APl section having annual income of Rs 15, 000 would also benefit under the scheme. The process of issuing ration card to APl persons will start soon after launch of this ordinance by ministers in-charge in respective districts. Under the scheme, the ration card would be issued in the name of the senior most woman in the family. The scheme will be instrumental in combating hunger and malnutrition in the State, he added.
To launch this scheme, the cabinet ministers would reach their respective districts on Monday and distribute ration kits to around 100 women beneficiaries in a programme organised by the administration. Singh said that ministers in charge of remaining districts would visit their respective districts before September 10 to launch this ordinance. According to him, around 60 percent of the state’s population will directly benefit from this scheme. Strict instructions had been given to the district officers to prevent black marketing while a Food Security Commission will be established in the state to ensure effective execution of the scheme.
It may be mentioned here that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had launched Food Security Ordinance 2013 at a programme in Dehradun on August 20.