Food and Civil Supplies Minister Amarjeet Bhagat informed that under ‘Food for All’-Universal Public Distribution System which has been launched in the state on October 2 this year is benefitting 85% of the state populace who are getting food-grains on subsidised price.
Addressing a press conference, he said the Above Poverty Line consumers in PDS were till date not receiving the benefits as per it was intended in the preamble of Chhattisgarh Food and Nutrition Security Act-2012.
There was contradiction in preamble and Section 15 (4) of the act and because of it a large section of the society was not getting benefit from the provisions of the act, he said.
“The Congress government after coming to power had rectified this error and had ensured ‘food for all’ on subsidiary price in PDS system”, he added.
Till date 58 lakh families having 2.16 crore members, which means 85% of the state populace is now getting the benefit of the Universal scheme, he informed. It is expected that the figure will later on increase to 92%, he added.
The state government has doubled the budged on food security, he said. As against earlier provision of Rs 2,770 crore the Congress government increased it to Rs 4,000 crore, he added.