With the implementation of National Food Security (NFS) Act from July 1 in Uttarakhand, around 62 lakh people who have been given new ration cards would get five kilos of food grain comprising three kilos of rice and two kilos of wheat per person for Rs three and Rs two per kg respectively with immediate effect, said State Food and Civil Supply additional secretary Ravinath Raman on Tuesday.
The State has sufficient stock of food grains for the implementation of this scheme and all the district food and civil supply offices have been directed to begin providing food grains under NFS Act to the intended beneficiaries with immediate effect, he added.
Beneficiaries who are not given ration under NFS Act can register complaint at district grievance redressal office at initial stage and later, they can approach State Food Commission and SFC chairperson may take action against the guilty, he added.
Under this Act, the State Government has appointed retired IAS officer Kunal Sharma as chairperson of State Food Commission and deputy commissioner of State Food and Civil Supply Dr Suchismita Sengupta Pandey as member SFC. At district level, chief development officer has been made district grievance redressal officer with district food and civil supply officer as nodal officer.
Below Poverty line (BPl) and Antyodaya card holders were included in the scheme and the Above Poverty line (APl) section with a monthly income of not more than Rs 15,000 will be benefited under the scheme.
A total of 1, 90, 926 persons who procured ration card from the department under AAY will be covered under NFS Act. The remaining 38 lakh people would be covered under a similar State Government run scheme under which each ration card holder would get 10 kg wheat and five kg rice for Rs 8.45 per kg and Rs 6.10 per kg respectively.