With the completion of distribution of new ration cards among intended beneficiaries of National Food Security Scheme (NFSS) in most of the 13 districts in Uttarakhand, the State Government is going to implement this scheme from Tuesday.
“Except four districts, including Dehradun, Pauri, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh, the remaining nine districts have distributed cent per cent new ration cards among the beneficiaries,” said State additional secretary Food and Civil Supply Ravinath Raman on Monday.
Under the NFSS, around 62 lakh residents of Uttarakhand will be covered and intended beneficiaries would get five kilos of food grain comprising three kilos of rice and two kilos of wheat per person for Rs three and Rs two per kg respectively. Below Poverty line (BPl) and Antyodaya card holders were included in the scheme and the Above Poverty line (APl) section with a monthly income of not more than Rs 15,000 will be benefited under the scheme, he added.
The additional secretary said that the remaining around 38 lakh State’s population would be covered under a similar State Government run scheme and under the same scheme, each ration card holder would get 10 kg wheat and five kg rice for Rs 8.45 per kg and Rs 6.10 per kg respectively. To run this scheme, the state government will bear the burden of up to Rs 200 crore per annum, he added.
Authorities in the four districts, Dehradun, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Pauri, which have achieved around 97 or 98 per cent distribution of new ration cards under the scheme so far have been directed to complete the task of distribution of remaining cards among the beneficiaries soon.
Data received from the department revealed that a total of 1, 90, 926 persons who procured ration card from the department under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) will be covered under National Food Security Scheme. After implementation of this scheme, the intended beneficiaries in various parts of the state will receive food grains at highly subsidised rates. State has sufficient food grains to implement this scheme from July 1. Intended beneficiaries of this scheme have been selected 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 while selecting the beneficiaries under the scheme. It may be mentioned here that after launching this scheme on August 20, 2013, the then Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had distributed ration kits to 100 women beneficiaries, while setting a deadline for its implementation on the occasion of State’s foundation day last year.