The Union Government has given Rs3,331.39 crore as food subsidy to Odisha during the 2015-16 fiscal, said Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in the lok Sabha on Tuesday.
This amount is among the highest given to any State during the financial year, he informed. While Madhya Pradesh got Rs5,737.29 crore, Odisha got Rs3,331.39 crore, Punjab Rs300 crore, Rajasthan Rs155.11 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs936.89 crore, Telangana Rs1,390.08 crore, Uttarakhand Rs408.67 and West Bengal Rs2,465.87 crore.
“The Government gave Food Corporation of India Rs1.12 lakh crore, Andhra Pradesh Rs1,364.25 crore, Bihar Rs2,540.92 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs3,328.93 crore, Gujarat Rs55.57 crore and Kerala Rs834.42 crore,” the Minister said in a written reply. Chandigarh received Rs14.31 crore, Puducherry Rs54.59 crore and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Rs71 lakh in food subsidies.
“Rs2.79 crore was given to Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Goa, lakshdweep, Mizoram and Sikkim as central assistance under the National Food Security Act,” Paswan said.
Overall, Rs1.34 lakh crore in food subsidy was given to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and various other states during the period.