Distribute 3 months’ rice quota in advance: CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department to provide three months of rice in advance to the beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Majhi issued this direction after he reviewed rice distribution under the Public Distribution System, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on Tuesday. The Chief Minister’s direction is significant as it came after allegation of delayed rice distribution among people at Mandipanka village in Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district.

Two women died and six others fell ill in the village after consuming mango kernel gruel allegedly due to scarcity of foodgrains. As per the Chief Minister’s instructions, each beneficiary of National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme will get 15 kg of rice for three months (October to December).

Although the rice distribution process started from October 1, about 40 lakh families have not received rice yet. Therefore, the Chief Minister has directed officials to distribute three months’ rice to these families immediately, it said.

The State government is taking steps to include all the workers registered under the e-Shramik portal in the PDS. Out of 1.30 crore workers registered under e-Shramik, about 1.31 lakh workers have remained left-out. So, the Chief Minister has directed the officials concerned to include the left-out workers under the State Food Security Scheme immediately. The meeting also discussed implementation of the ‘One Nation One Ration’ programme. Majhi suggested to the officials to expedite verification of e-KYC for Odia people who have migrated to other States, the statement said.