Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Govt takes steps to implement food act -Subhashish Mohanty

Govt takes steps to implement food act -Subhashish Mohanty

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Nov 21, 2013   modified Modified on Nov 21, 2013
-The Telegraph


Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik government would soon invite applications from people wishing to be included as beneficiaries under the Food Security Act to be implemented in the state from July 2014. Application forms will also be available online.

A six-member committee headed by the development commissioner would be constituted to chalk out the modalities for identification of the beneficiaries. Under the provisions of the act, each beneficiary would be entitled to five kilos of rice a month.

State food supplies and consumer welfare secretary Madhusudan Padhi said: "Under the act, of the 4.19 crore population of the state, around 3.26 crore people will be covered. The rest 93 lakh will remain out of its ambit. Now, steps will be taken by the task force to identify the beneficiaries."

The secretary said taxpayers and two-wheeler owners would not be included under the scheme. "Other measures will be formulated to identify people to be excluded," he said. After the applications are filed, a datasheet would be prepared and matched to the statistics available with the National Sample Survey and information received from the income tax department.

"Once that is done, we will come to know who the actual beneficiaries are. If there is any discrepancy, officials will go on spot visits to confirm the details furnished by applicants. The list will then be sent to the Centre for approval," said Padhi.

Rough estimates suggest that the state's subsidy burden would reduce by more than Rs 600 crore.

At present, Odisha is procuring rice from the Centre at Rs 6.30 a kg but distributing it among the beneficiaries at Re 1 a kg, thereby incurring a loss of 5.30 a kg. The scheme sets the state exchequer back by Rs 1,300 crore every year.

"If we get the same allocation of rice from the central pool at Rs 3 a kg, we will gain at the rate of Rs 3 a kg. Under the act, the present quota for the state will neither increase nor decrease even though the requirement is steadily going up," said an official.

The state government has opposed the act fearing that a number of people will be deprived of cheap rice once it is implemented in the state. It also apprehends that several families will not be covered as no final survey was conducted on the number of persons or families coming under BPL category since 1997. Though a survey was done in 2002, it stirred a controversy and the report was shelved.

At present, 36.88 lakh people below poverty line are availing 25 kg of rice at Re1 a kg. So are 5.30 lakh in the above poverty line Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi (APL-KBK) category.

Similarly, 12.53 lakh families are being provided 35 kg rice per month at the rate of Re 1 a kg under Antyodaya Anna Yojana. Another 63,701 elderly persons are getting 10 kg cheap rice per month under Annapurna scheme while 86,201 disabled persons are availing10 kg cheap rice. Besides, 30.50 lakh families are receiving wheat at Rs 7 a kg per month under the APL scheme.


The Telegraph, 21 November, 2013, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131121/jsp/frontpage/story_17594650.jsp#.Uo41wCeUVFk


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close