Chhattisgarh Public Distribution System (PDS) run under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh has attracted attention of North-East State of Manipur also.
Food, public distribution system and consumer affairs minister of Manipur M Okendra, who is here with his team of officers to study the PDS of Chhattisgarh, met State Government officers at Mantrayala here on Monday. The team also viewed the power-point presentation on Chhattisgarh PDS at the National Informatics Centre situated at the Mantralaya.
Food secretary Vikassheel welcomed the team. After viewing the presentation said that the Chhattisgarh PDS could be a model for the country. He also praised the Food Security Act of the State Government.
Okendra termed the PDS ‘Meri Marji’ arrangement made for the urban areas of the state, in which the ration card holders, according to their facility, can take ration from any of the fair price shops on the basis of their ration card or smart card, as most useful.
The State officers informed the Manipur minister that Chhattisgarh, by passing its own Food and Nutrition Security Act in the Assembly in December 2012, first in the country, has given the right for stomach full of meals to the more than 42 lakh poor families of the state. Under the Mukhyamantri Khadyann Sahayata Yojana, the poor in the State get 35 kilo rice every month at Rs1 and 2 per kg and two kilo salt free of cost on a regular basis, the officers told the Manipur Minister.
They informed that from May 2012, the Chhattisgarh Government had launched a scheme to give two kilo gram at Rs5 per kg to each poor ration card holder family of tribal areas. Now, this scheme has been included in the Food and Nutrition Security Act of Chhattisgarh.
Under this scheme, provision has been made to give two kg pulses per month at Rs10 per kg to the poor families of non-tribal areas. Manipur Minister Okendra will review the core PDS scheme in some wards and fair price shops of the state capital on Tuesday.