The Re 1-a-kg rice for the poor under the NFSA and the Odisha Government’s own food security scheme has become a mockery, alleged PCC president Niranjan Patnaik on Friday.
In a statement, he said all these schemes primarily are meant for the BPL families and families in distress. But no proper procedure is being followed while identifying the beneficiaries.
Giving an example, the PCC chief said the farmer who sells 100 bags of paddy in kharif season gets the same benefits under food security as the small and marginal farmer who sells one bag of rice. The recently launched KALIA scheme is also equally applicable to all. Does it really serve the purpose, asked Patnaik.
He said the State Government must implement different schemes for medium, small and marginal farmers, labourers and landless poor, so that each scheme targets and fulfills the needs of groups.
Patnaik said as per the State Government data, as many as 77 per cent of the total population of Odisha has been covered under Re1- a- kg rice scheme. If this is true, then 77 per cent of our population is living Below Poverty Line (BPL) as per 2011 census.
But another Government data says, as per 2011 census, the number of BPL families in Odisha declined to around 33 per cent. There is a gross mismatch in these two figures, which must be clarified by the State Government. This is meant only to lure voters, alleged Patnaik. He said the procedure of implementation of the scheme is dubious.
Because of the callous attitude of the State Government, many ghost beneficiaries are availing the major benefits, whereas the needy are left out. Last month, the Food Commissioner of the State cited his grave concerns saying that 2 lakh ghost beneficiaries in Odisha are receiving food grains under the Public Distribution Systems (PDS). The food security scheme launched by the BJD Government is meant for vote security, alleged Patnaik.