State to bring all eligible migrants under food security scheme
Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik government has decided to include all eligible migrants under the state food security scheme (SFSS).
The inclusion of eligible migrants under the SFSS was discussed and approved at a meeting of the council of ministers held on Friday. Official data shows more than 4.5 lakh migrants have already returned to the state over the past four weeks and another 4 lakh are expected to return soon.
The SFSS was launched by the government in October 2018 to cover those eligible beneficiaries who were left out of the National Food Security Act (NFSA). In March this year, the government had approved a proposal to add 5 lakh new beneficiaries under the SFSS. Of them, 3.18 lakh have been added already.
A senior government official said more than 95 lakh families in the state were covered under the national and the state food security schemes at present. The number will go up with the addition of the eligible migrants.
The eligible beneficiaries can apply to the respective block office for inclusion under the state food security scheme. The inclusion of new beneficiaries is reviewed by the food supplies and consumer welfare department every Friday.
Since March 22, the state government has distributed 10.16 lakh MT of food grains to beneficiaries of national and state food security schemes, compared to the normal monthly distribution 1.94 lakh MT. As announced by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 has been given to every household during this period. Free ration is also being distributed among migrants passing through the state as per the direction of the Centre.