With the Panchayat and lok Sabha elections round the corner, the State Government has started distribution of new ration cards under National Food Security Scheme among intended beneficiaries. The district food and civil supply officers have been directed to distribute new ration cards to the beneficiaries by the last week of February.
State food and civil supply Additional Secretary Ravinath Raman said that a total of 8,26,781 new ration cards under national food security scheme would be issued in the State. The Central Government has approved quota of food grains for intended beneficiaries under the scheme recently and with the release of food grains by the Centre, the beneficiaries would be given ration under the scheme from first week of March in Uttarakhand.
As per the report received from the district food and civil supply officers, a total of 8,455 new ration cards have been distributed among beneficiaries so far. In Dehradun district, around 3,000 out of total 1.48 lakh new ration cards were distributed to the beneficiaries. In Chamoli district, 2291 out of total 20, 143 new ration cards have been distributed.
All the district food and civil supply officers have been directed to ensure that all the intended beneficiaries are given new ration cards by the end of this month so that this scheme can be implemented by next month in the State, he added.
Raman further said that the old ration cards of the beneficiaries will be seized by the department officials before issuance of new cards. The old ration card will be valid for those people who do not come under the NFSS. Beneficiaries have been selected under NFSS based on guidelines issued by the Central and State Governments. Beneficiaries of old age pension, widow pension, physically handicapped persons, rickshaw drivers, porters, daily wagers, sanitation workers, cobblers, blacksmiths, carpenters, village craftsmen, domestic helpers and others were given priority in selection.
All the applications received in the department were verified by the district officials before selecting the beneficiaries. It may be mentioned here that after launching this scheme on August 20, 2013, the then Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had distributed ration kits to 100 women beneficiaries and had said that under the scheme, the poor would get five kilos of food grains comprising three kilos of rice and two kilos of wheat per person for Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg respectively. BPl and Antyodaya card holders were included in the scheme and the APl card holders with monthly income Rs 15,000 will also benefit under the scheme.