Families belonging to the Above Poverty line (APl) in the State continue to get 7 kg of wheat per month under the public distribution system. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Kumar Dasburma said this in the State Assembly on Saturday.
“The State has a total of 35, 65, 769 BPl families as per the online ration card available as on March 2, 2015. The Central Government has sanctioned a total of 25,781 metric tonne of wheat for Odisha to be distributed among the AP families and some bulk consumers. Accordingly, the APl families would continue to get 7 kg of rice each per month,” the Minister said in a written reply to a query put by Congress Member Taraprasad Bahinipati.
The Minister informed that the PDS wheat meets only a part of consumers’ total need of 42065.64 metric tonne, calculated on the basis of the NSS Report 68th Round and 2011 Census.
“The rest of wheat is being imported from States like Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to the open market. Flour mill owners are processing wheat into flour, maida and suji and selling them to the consumers,” Dasburma said.